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AN 


AMERICAN  COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


NEW   TESTAMENT. 


EDITED  BY 

ALVAH  HOVEY,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


\L± 


PHILADELPHIA: 

AMERICAN   BAPTIST   PUBLICATION   SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


EPISTLES  OF  JOHN. 


BY 

HENRY  A.'^SAWTELLE,  D.  D. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1888,  by  the 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST   PUBLICATION    SOCIETY, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN. 


For  the  sake  of  giving  as  much  space  as  possible  for  the  commentary  which  follows, 
the  Introduction  will  be  made  brief  And  this  is  the  less  to  be  regretted  because  there  is 
no  part  of  the  New  Testament  whose  authorship,  purpose,  and  destination,  are  better 
settled  among  Christian  students.  If  there  is  more  question  as  to  the  other  two  Epistles, 
the  whole  matter  of  debate  lies  within  a  very  small  compass.  Besides,  some  of  the  ques- 
tions, which  might  under  other  circumstances  be  treated  here,  are  sufficiently  answered  in 
the  Introduction  to  the  Grospel  of  John. 

I.    ITS  AUTHOR. 

The  reasons  for  supposing  John  the  apostle  to  have  been  the  author  of  the  First 
Epistle  are  abundant  and  conclusive.  Although  the  name  of  the  author  does  not  occur 
in  the  writing  itself,  yet  it  is  found  attached  to  the  early  manuscript  copies,  which  is  an 
external  testimony  of  no  small  value.  Besides,  Polycarp,  an  immediate  disciple  of  John, 
quotes  language  from  the  Epistle,  which  naturally  suggests  not  only  its  genuineness,  but 
its  Johanuean  authorship.  Eusebius  says  that  Papias,  also  a  hearer  of  John  and  a  com- 
panion of  Polycarp,  made  use  of  it.  Irenaeus  cites  the  Epistle  as  the  work  of  John. 
Clement  of  Alexandria  repeatedly  does  the  same.  This  authorship  is  likewise  indorsed 
by  Tertullian,  Cyprian,  Origen,  Dionysius  of  Alexandria,  Athanasius,  and  Eusebius. 
There  is  besides  the  witness  of  Muratori's  fragment  and  of  the  Peschito.  "After  the 
time  of  Eusebius,"  says  Alford,  "general  consent  pronounced  the  same  verdict.  We 
must  join  with  Liicke  in  saying  that  incontestably  our  Epistle  must  be  numbered  among 
those  canonic  il  books  which  are  most  strongly  upheld  by  ecclesiastical  tradition." 

The  internal  evidence  of  this  Epistle  being  the  writing  of  John  is  also  important.  It 
has  that  deeply  contemplative  manner,  that  type  of  spiritual  intuitiveness,  that  refulgence 
of  the  love  principle,  that  combination  of  tenderness  and  severity,  which  one  would  sooner 
refer  to  John  than  to  any  other  of  the  primitive  Christian  men  whose  personal  character 
is  brought  to  our  knowledge  in  the  gospels  or  in  tradition.  One  cannot  surrender  himself 
to  the  deeper  thought  and  spirit  of  the  Epistle,  or  dwell  meditatively  upon  the  words  and 
style,  without  a  conviction  coming  like  an  inspiration  that  the  author  was  one  who  had  a 
wonderfully  receptive  and  absorbing  nature,  and  who  had  stood  in  a  relation  of  some 
peculiar  personal  intimacy  with  Christ,  so  as  to  speak  and  think  more  exactly  as  he  did 
than  any  other  of  his  witnesses.  And  who  of  all  the  twelve  fits  into  these  conditions  like 
John,  the  beloved  disciple?  Then  there  is  the  obvious  and  very  marked  similarity  be- 
tween the  style  of  this  Epistle  and  that  of  the  gospel  bearing  the  name  of  John,  which 
we  do  not  need  to  illustrate.  If  John  was  the  author  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  he  was,  be- 
yond all  doubt,  the  author  of  the  Epistle. 

3 


4  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN. 

11.    DESTINATION. 

Assuming  that  this  writing  is  an  epistle,  or  letter,  and  not  a  mere  treatise,  as  its  pro- 
nouns of  the  second  person,  its  familiar  epistolary  style,  and  its  elasticity  of  manner, 
sufficiently  prove,  we  ask,  "For  whom  was  it  prepared?"  The  immediate  readers  for 
whom  it  was  intended  must  have  been,  in  part  at  least,  converts  from  heathenism,  and 
persons  with  whose  Christian  history  the  writer  had  personal  acquaintance.  They  must 
have  been  persons  having  already  an  advanced  knowledge  of  doctrinal  truth  and  a  long 
experience  in  church  life — persons  situated  where  the  gospel  had  been  plmted  long 
enough  to  allow  of  a  considerable  development  of  positive  heresies.  There  is  evidently  a 
philosophizing  or  Greek  spirit  in  the  society  where  the  letter  goes,  if  not  on  the  part  of 
the  readers  themselves.  The  letter  seems  designed,  too,  to  reach  not  a  single  church, 
but  the  larger  Christian  constituency  embraced  in  a  circle  of  churches.  These  considera- 
tions, and  others,  lead  us  to  think  of  the  great  bod}'  of  Christians  in  the  churches  of 
Asia  Minor,  and  to  a  certain  extent  those  on  the  other  side  of  the  ^Egean  Sea,  as  the 
readers  especially  addressed.  The  letter  was  an  encj'clical  epistle  for  the  great  circle  of 
Christians,  upon  whom  the  writer  looked  out  with  personal  interest  and  knowledge.  All 
this  agrees  with  the  Ephesian  residence  of  the  Apostle  John  in  the  latter  portion  of  his 
life.-  Augustine's  idea  that  the  letter  was  addressed  particularly  to  the  Parthians  must 
have  been  a  misapprehension,  or  others  may  have  misunderstood  him.  The  presence  of 
the  term  in  the  writings  of  this  Father  is  satisfactorily  explained  in  several  ways,  without 
understanding  it  to  limit  the  destination  of  the  Epistle  to  a  single  church  or  locality. 
No  other  preceding  or  contemporary  writer  lends  the  slightest  encouragement  to  such  a 
view. 

III.    DATE. 

When  we  have  reached  a  conclusion  as  to  the  author  and  destination  of  the  Epistle,  it 
is  easy  to  form  a  somewhat  satisfactory  opinion  as  to  the  time  when  it  was  composed.  That 
it  was  written  after  the  Gospel  of  John  is  generally  conceded.  Again  and  again  it 
assumes,  on  the  part  of  its  readers,  an  acquaintance  with  the  facts  of  the  gospel  narrative. 
In  several  instances  it  utters,  in  a  condensed  way,  things  already  stated  in  fuller  language 
in  the  Gospel.  And  as  a  rule,  as  Liicke  says,  the  shorter  and  more  concentrated  expres- 
sion of  one  and  the  same  writer  is  the  later.  The  Epistle  was  undoubtedly  written 
in  the  last  decade  of  the  apostle's  life,  not  earlier  than  A.  D.  90.  The  assumed  mature 
experience  of  the  readers,  the  well-defined  antichristian  error  already  developed, 
the  long-established  personal  relations  between  writer  and  readers,  the  indescrib- 
able tenderness  that  breathes  in  the  letter,  as  of  one  far  on  in  the  school  of  Christ, 
together  with  the  child-relation  to  the  writer  in  which  all  the  readers  are  placed, 
point  almost  certainly  to  the  late  period  to  which  we  have  assigned  the  composition. 

We  leave  questions  of  style,  objects,  contents,  and  deep  inward  connection,  to  be 
answered  by  the  commentary  itself 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN. 


CHAPTEK  I. 


THAT  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which  we  have 
heard,  which  we  liave  seen  witli  our  eyes,  which 
we  have  lookeil  upon,  and  our  hands  have  handled,  of 
the  Word  of  life ; 


1  That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  that  which 
we  have  heard,  that  wliicli  we  have  seen  with  our 
eyes,  that  which  we  beheld,  and  our  hands  handled 


Ch.  1:  1-4.  The  Incarnation  and  Life 
OF  Christ  as  a  Means  of  Fellowship 
AND  Joy. 

The  language  is  somewhat  involved,  but 
tliis  is  very  nearly  its  tenor.  The  apostle  has 
so  much  to  crowd  into  his  opening  sentence 
that  he  seems  scarcely  to  know  liow  to  begin. 
He  wants  to  utter  the  cardinal  facts  in  regard 
to  the  person  of  Christ,  his  own  sensible 
acquaintance  with  these  facts,  and  their  effec- 
tive relation  to  the  higher  life  of  believers — 
all  in  one  beat,  as  it  were.  It  is  the  effort  of 
a  full  vessel  to  empty  itself  by  an  insufficient 
outlet.  No  expression  that  Christ  made  was 
so  involved,  or  could  be.  Not  even  inspired 
men  could  speak  like  him.  In  the  verses  be- 
fore us,  we  see  a  deep  and  vivid  experience 
attempting  to  put  itself  in  sentences.  The 
life  in  Christ  has  become  life  in  John,  and  he 
wants  to  make  such  a  declaration,  such  a  tes- 
timony, of  it  as  will  lift  up  all  his  readers  to 
the  same  plane  of  divine  experience.  He 
knows  that  in  order  to  be  successful  in  this 
object,  he  must  at  the  same  time  guard  his 
readers  against  any  erroneous  views  of  the 
person  of  Christ.  Hence  his  emphasis  and 
amplification  of  certain  peculiar  facts  in 
Christ's  original  life  and  manifestation  to  the 
world. 

1.  That  which.  The  thing,  or  substance, 
which  he  will  declare.  It  is  not  merely  a 
person,  but  a  person  as  a  life,  fact,  principle; 
a  new  power  emerging  in  human  history. 
Hence  the  writer  begins  with  a  neuter,  in- 
stead of  a  masculine,  pronoun,  meaning  that 
wonderful  existence  which  includes  so  much, 
that  source  of  life.  Which  was  from  the 
beginning.  We  understand  this  to  mean, 
from  eternity.  The  words,  'was  with  the 
Father,'  in  the  following  verse,  compared 
with  John  1:  2,  confirms  this  conclusion;  so 
also,  indirectly,  do  other  passages  (as  Micah 
6:  2;  John  8:  58;  17:  5;  Col.  1:  17),  which 
declare  the  pre-existence,  or  eternity,  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Of  course,  John  1 :  1  is  the  strong- 


est warrant  for  our  interpretation.  [See  Note 
on  John  1:  1. — A.  H.]  The  word  rendered 
'beginning'  (ipx^)  may  mean  the  condition,  or 
foundation,  which  lies  back  of  all  historical 
creation  and  existence  (Rev.s:  u)^  and  from 
which  they  take  their  start.  Prior  to  the 
existence  of  any  created  being  or  thing  Christ 
was — 'was,'  not  was  becoming.  AVitli  wliat 
holy  reverence  did  John  contemplate  such  a 
Being,  who  did  not  belong  to  the  common 
category  of  men,  however  truly  he  became  a 
man.  Which  we  have  heard.  The  writer 
speaks  for  himself  and  his  fellow-apostles, 
the  prime  witnesses  of  the  gospel.  The  state- 
ment brings  forward  the  eternal  Word  to  a 
point  in  time,  when,  clothed  with  humanity, 
or,  rather,  made  flesh  (Johni:n),  he  uttered 
human  speech  which  ordinary  human  ears 
could  hear.  A  testimony  to  the  reality  of  the 
incarnation.  Which  we  have  seen  with 
our  eyes.  The  added  words,  '  with  our  eyes,' 
intensify  the  seeing,  while  they  show  that  it 
was  not  merely  mental,  but  physical,  with 
the  natural  eyesight.  It  was  necessary  for  an 
apostle,  as  an  original  witness,  to  have  seen 
Christ  thus.  (icor. 9;q.)  A  blind  man  could 
not  be  an  apostle.  Which  we  have  looked 
upon.  This  is  something  more  than  to  per- 
ceive with  the  eyes.  It  states  that  while  the 
apostles  saw  Christ,  they  likewise  gazed  upon 
him.  They  examined  him,  contemplated 
him.  Their  eyes  dwelt  upon  him.  There 
was' that  in  him  which  awakened  rapt  and 
admiring  attention.  The  verb  here  used  im- 
plies something  remarkable  in  his  person, 
and  is  expressly  used  with  such  a  reference  in 
John  1;  14,  "And  we  beheldhis  glorj'."  And 
our  hands  have  handled.  Thej'  had  han- 
dled him,  and  therebj'  knew  that  he  was  not 
a  mere  vision  or  spirit,  but  had  a  real  physi- 
cal body,  and  therefore  was  a  man.  It  is  the 
strongest  kind  of  testimony  to  the  humanity 
of  Jesus,  No  doubt  John  here  refers  partic- 
ularly to  his  handling  of  the  real  bod^-  of  our 
Lord  after  the   resurrection    from    Joseph's 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  I. 


2  (For  the  life  was  manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it,  I    2  concerning  the  i  Word  of  life  (and  the  life  was  niani- 
and  bear  witness,  and  shew  unto  you  that  eternal  life,  |       fested,  and  we  have  seen  and  bare  witness,  and  de- 


tomb.     The  humanity  which  he  possessed  be- 
fore,  ho   still    had    when    raised    from    the 
dead.     Jesus,    in   fact,    invited   this   kind    of 
testing  of  his  bodily'  state.     For  when  risen, 
and  standing  in  a  room  with  his  apostles,  he 
said  to  them,  as  they  wondered  and  seemed 
to   doubt:   "Behold   my  hands  and  my  feet, 
that  it  is  I  myself;  handle  me  and  see;  for  a 
spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye  see  me 
have."     (Luke 24:  39.)      And    he   requested   the 
doubting  Thomas  to  thrust  his  hand  into  the 
wound    of   his  side,    made  by   the    soldier's 
spear,  to  satisfy  him  of  the  reality  of  his  body_ 
[Notice  that  the  last  two  verbs  of  the  original 
arc  in  the  aorist  tense,  and  the  first  two  in  the 
perfect  tense.     This  may  perhaps  be  due  to 
the  circumstance  that  the  last  two  refer  to  a 
single  act,  and  the  first  two  to  an  oft-repeated 
experience.— A.  H.]     And  will  not  the  same 
evidences  present  themselves  when  we  shall 
see  him  as  he  is  in  his  heavenly  glory  ?    Will 
not  the  hands  and  feet  still  bear  the  marks 
and  scars  of  the  crucifixion?  (Eev. 5:6.)    Will 
not  the  body  still  be  one  that  can  be  handled 
—real  man  as  well  as  very  God  ?   This  intense 
statement  of  our  Lord's  humanity   w.jis  in- 
tended, as  nearly  all  allow,  to  correct  a  suspi- 
cion,  rising  in   some   Christian   hearts,   that 
Jesus  was  not  truly  human,  but  only  seemed 
to  be  so— an  error  which  subsequentlj'  took 
more  definite    shape    in   the  sect  known   as 
the  Docetae.    But  take  away  the  humanity  of 
Jesus,  make  of  the  incarnatioii  a  mere  seem- 
ing, and  the  whole  scheme  of  redemption  for 
sinners  is  undermined  ;  there  is  no  atonement, 
no  coming  of  Christ  into  conjunction  with 
our  natures,  no  mediatorship,  no  sympathiz- 
ing priesthood.     The  incarnation  is  one  of  the 
foundations  of  the  gospel.    And  "if  the  foun- 
dations be  destroyed,  what  can  the  righteous 
do?"  (P8.ii:3.)    Nay,  what  can  anxious  sin- 
ners do?    How  important  the  fact  that  the 
Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us! 
Of  the  Word  of  life.    Respecting  or  pertain- 
ing to  (Trepl)  'the  word  of  life' — that  is,  the 
higher   eternal    nature    of   Christ,    similarl3' 
conceived  of  and  named  in  the   opening  of 
John's  gospel.     The  expression  is  thrown  in 
to  make  his  readers  certain  of  whom  he  is 


speaking.  All  the  preceding  statements,  he 
says,  pertain  to  him  who,  before  he  was  heard, 
seen,  gazed  upon,  or  handled  by  men,  existed 
under  the  name  of  the  Word,  and  contained 
in  himself  absolute  life.  He  was  called  the 
Word,  because  he  was  the  expression,  the 
utterance  of  God,  "the  brightness  of  his  glory 
and  theexpress  imageof  his  person."  (Heb.i:3.) 
And,  as  such,  he  was  the  original  fountain  of 
life — not  merely  of  existence,  but  of  divine, 
spiritual  life.  Before  the  world  was,  the 
Word  had  in  himself  that  same  Holy  Spirit 
which  was  subsequently  imparted  to  his  hu- 
manity, not  by  measure  (John 3: 34),  to  be  com- 
municated thence  to  all  his  people.  The  ad- 
junct, 'of  life,'  literally,  of  the  (true)  life,  is  a 
genitive  of  nature,  or  characteristic.  The 
idea  expressed  has  its  counterpart  in  John  1 : 
4.  The  whole  expression  is  definitive  of  the 
opening  words,  'that  which'  (6),  or  may  de- 
pend on  such  understood  words  as,  I  speak, 
or  I  write.  Ebrard  says  it  is  appositional, 
and  paraphrases  thus:  "That  which  was  from 
the  beginning,  that  which  we  have  heard, 
etc.,  we  declare  unto  you;  and  thereby  we 
declare  unto  you  what  concerns  the  Word  of 
life." 

2.  For  the  life  Avas  manifested— literally, 
And  the  life,  etc.,  the  free  Hebraic  connective 
so  common  in  the  writings  of  John.  The 
mention  of  the  life  of  the  Word  in  the  pre- 
ceding clause  suggests  to  the  author  a  fact 
about  it  in  connection  with  the  incarnation — 
a  fact  confirmatory  and  explanatorj-  of  what 
he  had  already  said,  and  in  truth  belonging 
to  the  very  matter  of  his  message — and  so  it 
must  go  in  at  once,  parenthetically,  before  it 
is  forgotten.  The  life,  belonging  to  the 
eternal  Word,  was  manifested  in  a  human 
body  (John  1:14),  making  possible  the  action 
and  testimony  of  the  senses  before  mentioned. 
The  incarnation,  bringing  Chrisfs  life  within 
the  reach  of  men,  before  implied,  is  now  more 
explicitly  stated,  together  with  an  important 
fact  in  the  process.  And  we  have  seen  [if]. 
The  word  supplied  in  brackets  is  not  needed, 
as  the  object  is  expressed  after  the  two  fol- 
lowing verbs — namely,  that  eternal  life.  So 
Lange,  Lticke,  Ebrard,  and  the  Bible  Union, 


Ch.  I.] 


I.  JOHN. 


which  was  with  the  Father,  and  was  manifested  unto 
us;) 

3  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we 
Itnto  you,  that  ye  also  may  have  fellowship  with  us: 


clare  unto  you  the  life,  the  eternal  life,  which  was 

3  with  the  Father  and  was  manifested  unto  us);  that 

which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you 


This  testimony  is  not  to  be  understood  as  the 
mere  repetition  of  a  previous  statement,  but 
as  a  declaration  that  while  the  apostles  had 
seen  Christ's  humanity,  it  was  not  a  bodily 
nature  only  which  they  had  seen,  but  a  bodily 
nature  embracing  and  expressing  the  true  life 
of  the  "Word.  They  discerned  in  him  a  hu- 
manity containing  the  fathomless  spring  of 
eternal  life.  As  they  looked  on  Jesus,  they 
saw,  as  it  were,  beneath  the  surface,  and  felt 
a  witness  that  the  eternal  life  was  identified 
with  him.  Seeing  him,  they  saw  that  life. 
He  was  the  life.  (Coi.  s:  i.)  They  who  deeply 
see  Jesus  discern  the  divine  life  in  him,  as 
■well  as  the  human.  Enlightened  souls  have 
this  blessed  perception.  The  apostles,  having 
had  this  complete  perception  of  Christ,  and 
being  thus  prepared  in  their  own  knowledge, 
went  forth  to  the  people  witnessing  of  him, 
and  showing  that  he  was  the  true  eternal  life 
now  manifested  as  the  source  and  hope  of 
eternal  life  to  all  who  received  him.  And 
this  witness  they  bore  not  only  to  the  impeni- 
tent, but  over  and  over  again  to  those  who 
already  believed,  to  feed  their  faith  and 
increase  still  further  their  new  life.  They 
report  what  they  have  seen  and  experienced, 
and  by  this  means  the  true  life  is  communi- 
cated and  multiplied  in  men.  They  who 
experience  a  pers(jnal  knowledge  of  the  incar- 
nation and  life  of  Christ,  become  reporters, 
witnesses,  to  others,  and  so  the  vital  knowl- 
edge is  spread.  Thus  our  verse  presents  an 
outline  of  the  divine  method  of  evangelizing 
the  world.  Living  witnesses,  who  know 
Christ  themselves,  declare  their  knowledge 
in  the  Church  and  to  the  world.  What  we 
know  experimentally  of  Christ,  the  life,  let 
us  report  and  declare.  How  otherwise  are 
those  about  us  to  know  the  truth  ?  That 
eternal  life  which  was  with  the  Father. 
The  eternal  life  here  is  not  strictly  the  per- 
sonal word,  but  the  life  that  was  eternally  in 
him  (see  5:  11),  and  identified  with  him;  so 
identified  that  the  same  eternity,  the  same 
relation  to  the  Father,  may  be  predicated  of 
itorhim.  This  is  that  infinite  life,  thepleroma 
of  the  Word ;  never  coming  into  existence,  but 
always  being;  which  as  such,  or  being  of  such 
13 


nature  (>)ti«),  was  with  the  Father,  bearing  a 
personal  relation  towards  (■npot)  him  in  the 
Word.  As  the  Word  was  thus  with  (irpbs)  God 
the  Father  in  eternity  (John  i :  i),  so  was  the  life 
which  was  afterwards  manifested  in  the  flesh. 
Such  a  life  must  be  ultimate  and  absolute,  the 
basis  of  all  other  life,  and  its  manifestation  is 
the  highest  phenomenon  ;  and  being  found 
complete  in  Jesus,  it  marks  him  as  the  most 
exalted  Being.  It  is  this  Being  who,  while 
man,  has  a  life  reaching  back  into  eternity 
with  the  Father,  whom  the  apostles  were 
declaring.  It  is  perhaps  impossible  to  decide 
whether  the  name  Father,  as  used  here,  was 
applied  in  view  of  an  eternal  relation  of 
fatherhood  in  the.  Godhead,  or  in  view 
merely  of  a  relation  (not  distinction)  begun 
in  time,  with  the  appearance  of  the  God- 
man.  The  former  conclusion  is  certainly  the 
most  natural  impression,  from  the  use  of 
language  in  the  present  instance;  and  if 
valid,  implies  a  certain  sonship  of  the  Word 
in  eternit}'.  John  is  surely  speaking  of  God 
as  he  was  in  eternity ;  but  it  is  possible  that 
he  does  this  under  a  name  which  was  given  in 
view  of  the  incarnation. 

3.  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard 
declare  Ave  unto  you.  The  apostle  resumes 
the  matter  of  statement  begun  in  the  first 
verse ;  and  in  resuming,  after  a  lengthy  pa- 
renthesis, he  naturally  repeats  an  essential 
portion.  '  That  which '  has  precisely  the 
same  meaning  as  in  the  former  verse.  The 
order  of  the  seeing  and  hearing  is  here  re- 
versed, to  emphasize  the  seeing  as  the  higher 
evidence,  the  higher  ground  of  certainty. 
Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  and  Tregelles  cor- 
rectly insert  also  (icai)  before  'unto  you' — 
declare  w^  also  unto  yon — that  is,  to  3^ou  also 
who  have  not  seen  and  heard,  that  you  may 
know  the  manifested  One  as  well  as  we  may, 
have  the  facts  that  we  have.  As  the  object  of 
'  declare'  is  Christ  in  his  historical  manifesta- 
tion witnessed  by  the  apostles,  it  must  refer  to 
much  more  than  the  act  of  writing  the  present 
Epistle.  It  means,  no  doubt,  the  announcing 
of  the  story  of  Christ  by  oral  communication 
and  the  written  gospels,  together  with  (note 
the  present,  or  continuous  tense  of  the  verb) 


8 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  I. 


and  truly  oar  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

4  And  ihese  things  write  we  unto  you,  that  your  joy 
may  be  lull. 


also,  that  ye  also  may  have  fellowship  with  us:  yea, 
and  our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his 
4  Son  Jesus  Christ:  and  these  things  we  write,  tiiat 
lour  joy  may  be  made  lull. 


1  Man;  anoient  autliorl:li.-s  read  your. 


any  testimony  rendered  or  repeated  in  the 
present  letter.  The  declaring  is  not  effected 
in  one  way,  or  by  one  apostle  merely.  Hav- 
ing received  the  true  li2;ht,  these  apostles 
enlightened  others.  (Acts4:20.)  Suppose  they 
had  kept  the  groat,  new  knowledge  to  them- 
selves, what  would  have  been  the  fate  of  the 
gospel  ?  Or  suppose  they  had  spoken  without 
experimental  and  certain  knowledge,  what 
effect  could  they  have  had  on  men  ?  The 
apostles,  as  such,  needed  something  more 
than  a  spiritual  knowledge  of  Christ;  they 
needed  that  knowledge  which  came  from 
seeing  and  handling  the  human  body,  and 
from  being  with  him  from  the  beginning. 
(johui5:27.)  What  is  necessary  for  the  wit- 
nesses of  Christ  now  is  the  true  inward 
knowledge  of  him.  The  subject  of  testimony, 
whether  from  apostles  or  from  us,  is  Christ 
incarnate,  and  the  eternal  life  in  him.  That 
chief  matter  being  repeatedly  declared  by 
many  men  in  many  waj's,  the  elect  shall  be 
brought  in,  and  the  life  of  the  Cliurch  more 
fully  replenished.  That  ye  also  may  have 
fellowship  with  us.  'That  ye  also,'  who 
have  not  seen  and  heard,  may  have  fellowship 
with  us,  and  .so  enjoy  all  that  we  enjoy.  Tes- 
timony shall  bring  to  you  all  that  sight  has 
brought  to  us  ;  and  for  this  purpose  we  make 
it.  'Fellowship'  with  another  is  something 
more  than  union,  however  intimate;  it  is  a 
sharing  together  with  a  common  partnership 
or  participation  of  certain  possessions,  gifts, 
or  blessings.  Those  who  are  in  fellowship 
are  partakers  in  common  of  certain  things. 
It  has  been  supposed  that  Paul  and  John 
differ  in  their  meaning  of  this  word  {Koiviuvia). 
"John's  sense  is  more  inward,  subjective,  than 
than  that  of  Paul."  (Hackett. )  It  seems  to 
us  that  the  participation,  or  fellowship  itseli, 
as  an  act,  is  the  same  with  both;  its  objects 
may  somewhat  differ  in  the  writings  of  the 
two — with  Paul,  the  means  of  life ;  with 
John,  life  itself.  And  Paul  seems  to  empha- 
size the  objects,  whatever  they  are;  while 
John  appears  to  make  prominent  the  common 
participation  itself,  and  the  intimate  union  it 
implies  between  those  who  thus  partake.  With 


the  latter,  the  spiritual  partnership  is  all  im- 
portant, the  highest  exaltation.  And  truly 
our  fellowship  [is]  with  the  Father,  sfud 
with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  The  'with' 
{nera)  is  repeated  before  each  person,  strongly 
suggesting  a  real  distinction  of  the  persons  in 
the  writer's  view.  It  must  mean  the  same  as 
in  the  preceding  sentence — namely,  in  com- 
pany with.  The  sentence  is  added  (/cal)  to 
define  the  height  of  that  fellowship  of  the 
apostles  to  which  the  others  addressed  should 
be  admitted.  It  is  nothing  les*  than  a  par- 
ticipation together  with  Father  and  Son  in  a 
common  life.  That  the  object  or  contents  of 
the  fellowship  is  life  in  the  fullest  sense,  is 
not  directly  said,  but  the  tenor  of  ver.  2 
teaches  it.  And  fellowship  with  Father  and 
Son  in  one  great  life  implies  perfect  union 
and  exalted  companionship  with  them.  In 
his  deep  experience  of  the  eternal  life  which 
was  with  the  Father,  and  in  the  Son,  John 
was  not  selfish.  He  desired  the  members  of 
the  churches  to  share  it  with  him  to  the  full. 
They  were  already  supposed  to  be  converted 
people;  but  they  might  attain  a  greater  full- 
ness of  blessing.  It  was  their  privilege  to  be 
on  the  same  plane  of  conscious  spiritual  life 
with  the  apostles  themselves.  And  how  shall 
they  attain  to  this  grand  realization  ?  Let 
them  receive  a  fresh  testimony  of  the  truth 
John  is  declaring;  believe  in  the  completeness 
of  Clirist  the  life;  welcome  the  eternal  life 
that  is  in  him  ;  know  that  it  is  for  them.  Oh, 
the  wonder  of  the  uplifting  through  the  life 
that  was  manifested  1  The  New  Testament 
teaches  that  the  Father  has  his  name  pri- 
marily from  his  relation  to  his  only-begotten 
Son,  and  secondarily,  from  his  relation  to 
those  who  are  begotten  in  his  likeness  by  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

4.  And  these  things  write  we  unto  yon. 
By  'these  things'  he  means  these  foregoing 
things.  Compare  especially  2:  1;  John  20: 
31,  1  Tim.  3:  14,  and  Ellioott  on  this  last 
passage.  The  expression,  'these  things' 
(rouTa),  is  used  two  hundred  and  forty-five 
time^  in  the  New  Testament,  and  always,  with 
half  a  dozen  exceptions,  with  reference  to 


Ch.  L] 


I.  JOHN. 


5  This  then  is  ttie  message  which  we  have  heard  of 
him,  and  declare  unto  you,  that  Uod  is  light,  and  in 
him  is  DO  darkuess  at  all. 


5      Aud  this  is  the  message  which  we  have  heard  from 

him,  and  announce  unto  you,  that  God  is  liglit,  and 

G  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all.    If  we  say  that  we 


things  preceding.  The  reader,  coming  to  the 
word  in  our  passage,  naturally  thinks  of  the 
great  things  just  mentioned  by  the  writer. 
The  'and,'  introducing  the  statement,  helps 
the  impression.  That  your  joy  may  be 
full.  Fulfilled,  filled  up,  made  complete. 
The  things  just  written,  such  as  the  eternity, 
the  real  humanity,  the  eternal  life  of  Christ, 
the  privelege  of  fellowship  with  apostles  and 
Father  and  Son,  and  the  testimony  of  these 
things  from  personal  knowledge,  being  read 
and  experienced,  were  fitted  to  produce  su- 
preme joy — ^joy,  and  not  mere  peace  or  happi- 
ness. A  cardinal  object  of  the  ministry  (2Cor. 
1:  2*),  and  of  the  gospel  doctrines,  is  to  pro- 
duce this  joy  in  Christians.  "The  joy  of  the 
Lord  is  your  strength."  (Neh.s;  lo.)  It  is  the 
earnest  of  heaven,  the  essence  of  Christianity. 
"These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,"  said 
Jesus,  "that  my  joy  might  remain  in  you, 
and  that  your  joy  might  be  full."  (Johnis:  n.) 
"Ask  and  ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may 
be  full."  (Jobni6:24.)  Union  with  Jesus  in 
the  life  eternal  causes  in  us  the  same  joy  that, 
like  a  glad  stream,  ever  runs  in  his  bosom. 
Said  Augustine:  "  There  is  a  joy  which  is  not 
given  to  the  ungodly,  but  to  those  who  love 
thee  for  thine  own  sake,  whose  joy  thou  thy- 
self art.  And  this  is  the  happy  life,  to  rejoice 
in  thee,  of  thee,  for  thee;  this  is  it,  and  there 
is  no  other.  For  they  who  think  there  is 
another,  pursue  some  other,  and  not  the  true 
joy."  ['Our  joy'  instead  of  'your  joy'  is 
perhaps  the  correct  reading;  for  it  is  sup- 
ported by  the  Sinaitic  and  Vatican  manu- 
scripts, the  oldest  known  to  critics,  also  by 
Codex  L.,  the  Syriac  Version,  one  of  the 
Egyptian  versions,  the  Sahidic,  and  thirty 
cursive  manuscripts.  It  is  the  more  difficult 
reading — a  copyist  would  be  more  likely  to 
write  "your"  for  "our"  than  to  write  "  our" 
for  "your" — and  therefore  probably  correct. 
Nor  is  the  thought  unsuitable.  The  joy  of  a 
true  apostle  might  well  be  perfected  by  the 
growing  knowledge  and  sympathy  of  Chris- 
tians for  whom  he  was  laboring  in  the  gospel. 

(1  Thess.  3:  9;  Phil.  4  ;  1.)  —  A.   H.] 

5-10.  Fellowship  with  God  Implies 
Purification  from  Sin,  by  the  Atoning 
Blood,  and  Personal  Confession. 


In  the  preceding  section,  John  has  set  forth 
forcibly  the  incarnation  of  Christ  and  hia 
eternal  life,  the  preaching  of  which  is  the 
means  of  bringing  God's  children  into  divine 
fellowship  and  full  joy.  And  now,  in  this 
second  sectioUj  to  guard  against  any  false 
view  of  the  way  into  this  higli  experience,  he 
shows  that  it  is  not  by  ignoring  or  denying 
our  sins,  nor  is  it  by  profanely  carrying  them 
along  with  us;  but  it  is  by  owning  them  as 
they  are,  and  getting  clear  of  them  through 
the  death  of  the  Incarnate  One.  The  sub- 
lime, joyful,  fellowship  contemplated  by 
Jolir.  is  thus  holy  on  both  God's  part  and  ours. 
There  can  be  no  union  or  company  with  » 
holy  God  except  in  a  way  of  holiness. 

5.  This  then  is  the  message.  Literally, 
according  to  the  best  edited  text.  And  (to 
proceed  with  the  epistle)  there  is  this  message. 
The  reader  has  here  John's  order  and  words. 
The  message  is  tlie  compact  proposition,  basal 
to  a  scheme  of  salvation,  and  primal  in  all 
revelation,  given  in  the  last  part  of  the  verse. 
Which  we  have  heard  of  him.  Not  con- 
cerning him,  but  froin  him.  The  sentence 
recalls  the  idea  that  Christ,  having  becom-e 
incarnate,  spoke  to  human  ears,  and  John 
and  other  witnesses  did  hear  him.  The 
thought  is  involved  that  the  Incarnate  One 
spoke  for  God  with  authority  and  infalli- 
bility,'  making  it  all-important  that  men 
siiould  hear  and  know  what  he  said.  And 
declare  unto  you.  Take  up  {ava)  from 
Christ  and  announce,  or  report.  The  apostles 
were  in  the  position  of  simple  reporters  from 
Christ.  The  necessity  of  this  work  of  report- 
ing or  announcing  the  message  of  Christ  to 
men  is  implied.  Preaching  to  men  is  as  neces- 
sary as  that  Christ  should  first  come  and  origi- 
nate the  message.  It  is  the  line  of  communi- 
cation between  Christ  who  came  and  the  ears 
of  the  world  at  large.  That  God  is  light, 
and  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all.  This  is 
the  message. declared  from  Christ, — a  message 
testifying  primttrily  of  God ;  a  statement 
lying  at  the  foundation  of  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion, and  introductory  to  the  atonement — 
word  in  2:  2.  Christ  came  not  to  say  that 
God,  in  mercy  to  men,  could  be  indifferent  to 
their  sin  or  careless  of  the  interests  of  right- 


10 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  I. 


6  If  we  say  that  we  have  fellowship  with  him,  and 
walk  in  darkness,  we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth : 

7  But  if  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light. 


have  fellowship  with  him,  and  walk  in  the  dark- 

7  ness,  we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth :  but  if  we  walk 

in  the  light  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  have  fellowship 


eousness,  but  rather  to  declare  his  righteous- 
ness (Rom.  3:  m),  and  his  mercy  by  a  way  of 
righteousness.  The  locus  classicus  of  Rom. 
3:  21-26  is  an  expansion  of  the  statement  of 
our  verse.  John  is  deeply  doctrinal,  not  less 
than  Paul.  Let  it  be  emphasized  that  the 
holiness  of  God  lay  at  the  foundation  of 
Christ's  mission.  The  gospel  throughout, 
both  as  a  system  and  an  operation,  is  a  voice 
saying  that  God  is  holy ;  hence  that  man 
must  be  holy  to  be  with  him.  But  it  opens 
the  way  of  becoming  holy.  God  is  light, 
morally,  spiritually.  Light  is  the  one  most 
expressive  emblem  of  God,  and  was  created 
to  be  such.  See  Ps.  27:  1 ;  36:  9;  1  Tim.  6: 
16;  Heb.  1:  3;  Rev.  22:  5.  It  represents 
God's  pervasiveness  of  being,  his  perfect  lu- 
minousness  of  mind,  and  the  bright  gladness 
(ps. 97:  11)  of  his  life;  but,  more  particularly, 
the  perfect  holiness  of  his  moral  nature.  This 
is  the  special  point  in  the  mind  of  John,  as 
the  following  verses  prove.  See  light  ex- 
pressing righteousness  in  Ps.  37:  6.  The 
apostle  intensifies  his  statement  by  putting  it 
also  in  the  negative  form.  'Darkness'  is 
named,  not  as  the  symbol  of  ignorance,  error, 
or  misery  merelj',  but  more  especially  as  the 
symbol  of  moral  evil,  sin.  In  God  is  no  sin 
at  all.  Sin  can  have  no  part  in  him,  either 
in  a  thought,  or  feeling,  or  deed,  or  in  a  way 
of  fellowsliip  or  union  with  him.  His  nature 
repels  all  sin.  He  cannot  countenance  it, 
either  in  himself  or  in  others.  Let  no  man, 
therefore,  present  the  gospel,  let  no  sinner 
presume  to  come  to  him,  in  a  way  to  com- 
promise God's  holiness  or  ignore  moral  guilt. 
If  the  passage  does  not  purposely  confute 
an  incipient  gnosticism,  it  guards  theology 
against  it. 

6.  If  we  say  that  we  have  fellowship 
with  him,  and  walk  in  darkness,  we  lie, 
and  do  not  the  truth.  'If,'  here  with  the 
subjunctive,  presents  a  supposable  condition, 
an  "objective  possibility."  (Winer.)  'Ifipe 
say' — that  is,  I,  you,  or  any  one  else.  How 
plainly  the  teaching  of  this  verse  follows  from 
the  doctrine  of  the  divine  character  just  be- 
fore laid  down  1  With  what  tremendous  force 
it  comes  home  to  any  whose  unholy  lives, 
coupled  with  professed  fellowship  with  God, 


are  saying,  "God  is  not  so  holy,  after  all !  " 
If  we  have  fellowship  with  God  in  one  life 
{see  note  on  ver.  3),  between  us  and  him 
there  is  community  of  character,  moral  like- 
ness, and  sympathy;  fellowship^must  be  mu- 
tual. Hence,  for  us  to  profess  fellowship  with 
God,  while  yet  unsaved,  or  uncleansed  from 
sin,  is  in  effect  to  say  that  Gods  character  is 
on  a  level  with  ours,  and  that  he  can  have 
part  in  our  sin!  How  many  there  are  who 
are  practically  belying  the  nature  of  God,  by 
thinking  to  enjoy  God's  fellowship  here  and 
hereafter,  without  regeneration,  without  moral 
renovation  through  Christ!  But  what  does 
the  very  nature  of  God  require?  Darkness 
cannot  be  in  fellowship  with  light.  To  'walk 
in  darkness'  is  to  live  in  sin;  "action  inward 
and  outward,  in  whatever  way  we  turn." 
^Bengel.)  Some  specific,  cherished  sin  may 
be  referred  to,  and  still  the  general  statement 
remain  fearfully  true.  Literally,  'in  the 
darkness' — namely,  that  previously  men- 
tioned (ver.  5),  which  is  totally  foreign  to  God, 
but  in  whose  sphere,  or  world,  a  Christian 
professor  may  walk,  and  so  in  a  character 
opposite  to  God's.  The  expression  is  often 
used  in  these  times  of  a  doubting,  comfortless 
state  of  mind,  the  opposite  of  a  state  of  Chris- 
tian hope.  But  the  argument  John  is  so  pow- 
erfully unfolding  demands  the  interpretation 
already'  given.  Saying  one  thing  and  deny- 
ing it  in  act,  we  tell  a  lie  in  both  word  and 
deed.  Doing  not  the  truth  is  something  more 
than  the  act  of  lying,  expressed  negatively; 
something  more  than  acting  inconsistently. 
It  comes  nearer  to  being  the  negative  expres- 
sion of  walking  in  darkness.  It  is  the  failure 
to  express  the  light  of  God's  nature  in  our 
life,  the  failure  to  do  the  gospel  truth  as  the 
tree  does  its  fruit.  (Matt.  3:  8,  10,  in  the 
Greek.)  Truth  here  does  not  varj'  essentially 
from  its  Johannean  meaning,  and  doing  the 
truth  is  well  explained  in  John  3:  21.  "  That 
the  truth  {-ntv  aKr)9fi.av^  can  mean  only  the  sub- 
stantial truth,  that  which  in  its  nature  is  con- 
formed to  the  nature  of  the  God  of  light, 
ought  never  to  be  doubted."     (Ebrard.) 

7.  But  if  we  walk  in  the  li^ht,  as  he  is 
in  the  light.  If  God  is  light,  it  is  likewise 
the  element  in  which  he  live.s.     It  encircles 


Ch.  I] 


I.  JOHN. 


11 


we  have  fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin. 


one  with  another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  his  Soa 
8  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.    If  we  say  that  we  have 


every  part  and  point  of  his  being.     In  the 
same  sphere  or  state  of  moral  light  we  may 
wali< — that   is,  in  moral  harmony  with  God, 
which  is  righteousness;   and  if  we  do,  it  im- 
plies and  proves  two  things.     We  have  fel- 
loAvship  one  with   another.    Saying  that 
we  have  this  fellowship  does  not  prove  that 
we  are  walking  in  the  light;  but  walking  in 
the  light  proves  that  we  have  this  fellowship. 
Where  there  is  the  former,  expect  to  find  the 
latter.     Who  are  the  parties  included  in  the 
phrase  'one  with  another' — Christians  only, 
or  Christians  and  God  himself?    We  should 
say   the   latter.     John    is    certainly  arguing 
about  a  fellowship  that  includes  God,  and  the 
walk  that  evinces  it  or  denies  it.     Besides,  the 
pronoun  his  in  the  next  part  of  the  verse  most 
naturally  supposes  that  the  idea  of  God  is  not 
dropped  from  the  present  part.     Nor  does  this 
view,  as  some  aver  (see  Lange),  put  God  and 
us  too  nearly  on  a  level ;  since  it  belongs  to 
the  very  idea  of  fellowship,  as  between  God 
and  us,  that  he  permits  himself  to  be  on  a 
kind  of  level  with  us.     Wonderful  permission 
and  admission!     Nor,  in  fact,  is  God  brought 
down  in  the  reality  of  this  community,  but 
the  sinner  rather  in  Christ  is  lifted  up  into  the 
life  of  God.     On  the  plane  of  this  high  fellow- 
ship of  God  and  his  people,  each  participates 
with  each,  and  each  with  all,  in  the  fullest 
mutuality — one   with   another    (/i«t*   aWriKiav). 
And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ   his  Son 
cleanseth  us  from  all   sin.    The  best  sup- 
ported text  omits  the  term   'Christ.'     John 
meets  a  mental  question.  Have  these  Chris- 
tians, up  in   this  high  state,  no  sins?    Yes, 
says  John  in  effect,  chey  have  sins,  but  the 
blood  of   Jesus  cleanses  them   all   away,  so 
that,    consciously    forgiven,    saved,    washed, 
they  walk  in  God's  light;  and  this  walking 
involves  and  proves  the  cleansing,  as  it  did 
the   fellowship.     The  cleansing  and   fellow- 
ship, too,  are  most  intimately  connected.    The 
consciousness  of  the  one  involves  that  of  the 
other;    and    there  is   no    fellowship   without 
cleansing.     The  blood  is  the  atoning  or  sacri- 
ficial work,  through  faith  in  which  (Aotsi5:9) 
we  are  cleansed  from  sin.     Being  the  blood  of 
the  Son  of  God,  it  is  of  infinite  value  in  can- 
celing penalty'.     'Cleanseth  us  from  all  sin' 
should    be  translated    is  demising  us  from 


every  sin.  Their  importance,  as  bearing  upon 
certain  modern  opinions,  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. Do  they  describe  a  work  of  sanc- 
tification,  or  of  justification?  Our  answer  is, 
a  work  of  justification.  A  statement  directly 
parallel  we  find  in  Rom.  5:  9,  "Being  now 
justified  by  his  blood."  The  blood  justifies, 
while  it  is  the  Spirit  which  sanctifies.  These 
separate  offices  should  be  carefully  distin- 
guished. To  justify  a  person  frum  a  sin  is  to 
free  him  from  it,  so  that  it  is  no  longer  his. 
It  is  more  than  to  pardon  the  person;  it  is  to 
take  away  his  guilt,  so  that  the  sin  is  no  more 
chargeable  to  him.  He  stands  as  one  inno- 
cent before  the  divine  law.  Condemnation  is 
gone  from  the  conscience;  and  with  it  departs 
the  sense  of  moral  pollution.  Now,  does  not 
cleansing  us  well  describe  this  total  act  which 
frees  us  from  the  sin,  utterly  disengages  us 
from  it,  so  that  it  is  no  more  ours?  And  is 
not  this  just  the  work  of  cleansing  that  is  de- 
scribed in  Heb  9;  14,  and  is  there,  as  in  our 
passage,  referred  to "  the  blood  of  Christ? 
Compare,  also,  Heb.  1:  3;  9:  *22;  2  Peter  1: 
9,  and  especially  the  analogy  of  Lev.  16:  19, 
20.  The  act  of  the  cleansing  is  present  and 
continuous  (fcoeapifei),  and  is  such  at  all  parts 
of  the  Christian  life  on  earth,  implying  that 
at  every  successive  moment  there  is  accruing 
sin.  The  continuous,  erasive  work  of  the 
atonement  implies  that  there  is  constantly 
recurring  sin  to  be  erased.  No  sin,  no  cleans- 
ing. But  there  is  cleansing,  and  therefore 
sin.  At  this  moment,  looking  at  the  blood  of 
Christ,  I  realize  that  I  am  fully  cleansed, 
justified;  but,  having  the  remains  of  the  old 
nature,  sin  accrues,  and  I  need  to  make  a 
constantly  fresh  application  of  his  blood; 
and  making  it  for  one  moment  or  many,  I 
am  conscious  of  complete  cleansing  from 
guilt,  of  full  salvation.  The  full  salvation, 
however  continuously  realized,  is  not  a  state 
of  sinlessness.  The  sin  constantly  flows  in, 
the  irruption  ceases  not,  but  the  blood  of 
Christ  meets  it  and  cleanses  us  from  it,  giving 
constant  victory  to  constant  appropriating 
faith.  The  passage  teaches  this  seeming  but 
easily  comprehended  paradox,  that  at  each 
moment  we  need  salvation  from  sin,  and  at 
each  moment  we  may  realize  full  cleansing. 
Finally,  observe  that  the  work  being  done  by 


12 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  I. 


8  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves, 
and  the  truth  is  not  in  us. 

9  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  for- 
give us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  uurighteous- 

10  If  we  say  that  we  have  not  sinned,  we  make  him 
a  liar,  and  his  word  is  not  in  us. 


no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in 
9  us.     If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  right- 
eous to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from 
10  all  unrighteousness.     If  we  say  that  we  have  not 
sinned,  we  make  him  a  Uar,  and  his  word  is  not  in 


the  appropriated  blood  is  not  the  taking  away 
of  the  root  principle  of  sin,  but  rather  of  each 
particular  sin,  every  sin.  The  old  root,  whence 
the  sin  comes,  is  not  removed  by  the  blood; 
that  can  be  met  or  in  any  measure  subdued 
only  by  the  Spirit.  It  is  the  guilt  of  sin,  not 
the  sinning  nature,  which  the  blood  removes. 
The  sinning  nature  may  be  likened  to  an  old 
sore,  whose  continuous  eruption  the  "fuller's 
soap"  cleanses  away,  while  itself  remains. 
What  Paul  had  the  battle  with  was  not  un- 
forgiven  sin,  but  the  sinning  nature,  which  as 
a  deep  sore  he  felt  to  be  active  within  him. 
But  while  feeling  the  grievous  motions  of  sin, 
It  was  his  privilege  to  feel  the  constant  cleans- 
ing of  the  Saviour's  blood,  and  so  a  happy 
victory,  of  which  he  testifies,  and  delightful 
fellowship  with  God. 

8.  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we 
deceive  ourselves.  John  includes  himself 
in  this  statement.  If  after  any  of  us  are 
once  saved  and  cleansed  by  the  blood  of 
Christ,  we  say  we  have  no  accruing  sin  need- 
ing atonement,  we  deceive  ourselves.  If  the 
ripest  Christian  says  he  has  not  an  active  sin- 
ning nature  hidden  as  a  root  within  him, 
from  which  guilt  and  pollution  will  arise, 
needing  the  cleansing  blood  of  Jesus,  that 
man  does  not  know  himself;  he  -is  deluded. 
And  the  truth  is  not  in  us.  The  truth  here 
is  the  trutli  of  the  gospel,  bringing  the  light 
of  God  into  the  soul,  and  so  revealing  sins  as 
the  sunlight  does  the  dust.  See  Ps.  90:  8. 
"The  truth  is  to  be  taken  objectively  as  the 
divine  truth  in  Christ,  the  absolute  principle 
of  life  from  God  received  into  the  heart" 
(Lange) ;  "  the  objective  essence  of  the  divine 
nature,  which  is  light"  (Ebrard);  "true 
faith"  (Fausset);  "the  truth  respecting 
God's  holiness  and  our  sinfulness,  which  is 
the  very  first  spark  of  light  in  us"   (Alford). 

9.  If  we  confess  our  sins.  Our  method 
of  obtaining  the  full  effect  of  the  cleansing 


blood.  It  is  by  confessing  our  sins  (not  our 
mere  sinfulness),  voluntarily  uncovering 
them  before  the  eye  of  God,  which  is  essen- 
tially repentance.  See  Ps.  32:  5,  6.  Such 
repentance  is  not  without  an  element  of  faith ; 
and  the  result  follows-=-fuU  salvation.  He 
is  faithful  and  just.  He— namely,  God. 
'  Faithful'  to  his  promise  of  forgiveness  upon 
condition  of  repentance,  and  just  inasmuch 
as  Christ  has  died  for  our  sins.  (Rom. 3:26.) 
To  forgive  us  our  (literally,  the)  sins,  and 
to  cleanse  us  from  all  (literally,  every) 
unrighteousness.  '  He  is«faithful  and  just' 
—righteous — for  this  very  purpose,  to  this 
very  end  {i-va),  that  he  should  not  only  for- 
give the  confessed  sins,  but,  what  is  more, 
take  away  the  guilt,  free  us  from  the  sins, 
justify  us,  so  that  we  stand  as  innocent  before 
him.     See  note  on  ver.  7. 

10.  If  we  say  that  we  have  not 
sinned.  The  persons  supposed  to  say  this 
are  viewed  at  the  point  when  they  should  be 
oflPering  their  confession — a  confession  of  sins 
beginning  in  the  past  and  reaching  down  to 
the  present;  hence,  the  perfect  tense.  But  if 
when  thej'  should  begin  to  confess  the  sins  of 
the  time  covered  by  this  tense  down  to  the 
present  moment,  they  say,  'We  have  not 
sinned,'  there  is  a  terrible  added  sin.  We 
make  him  a  liar.  That  is,  God.  "We  not 
only  lie  (ver.  6),  and  are  deluded  (ver.  a),  but 
even  more  than  that,  we  make  God  a  liar. 
For  he  has  said  by  others,  and  just  now  by 
me  (John),  that  we  all  have  ever-recurring 
sins."  And  his  word  is  not  in  us.  (JohuS: .%.) 
His  word  of  the  gospel,  as  a  living  principle 
(1  Peter  1: 23),  the  Seed  of  the  new  nature.  It 
corresponds  substantially  with  the  truth  in 
ver.  8,  and  confirms  the  interpretation  there 
given.  Implanted  in  us  by  the  Spirit,  it  re- 
veals to  us  our  sins,  and  our  constant  need  of 
the  atoning  blood. 


Ch.  II.] 


I  JOHN. 


13 


CHAPTER  II. 


MY  little  children,  these  things  write  I  unto  you, 
lliiit  ye  sin  not.     And  if  any  man  sin,  wc  have  an 
advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous:  | 


1      My  little  children,  these  things  I  write  unto  you, 
that  ye  way  not  sin.    And  if  any  man  sin,  we  have 


Ch.  2:  1,  2.  The  Writer's  Object  is 
TO  Prevent  Sin  in  Believers;  but  He 
Would  also  Save  Them  from  Despair 
IN  case  They  Do  Sin. 

Notwithstanding  the  clearness  of  the  words 
and  style,  it  is  by  no  means  easy  to  summar- 
ize the  thought  of  these  verses.  There  is 
evidently  a  very  close  connection  between 
them  and  the  verses  immediately  preceding; 
and  a  remembrance  of  this  will  aid  the  inter- 
pretation. 

1.  My  little  children.  The  aged  apostle, 
great  in  gentleness,  so  calls  the  Christians 
whom  he  addresses.  He  may  have  been  led 
to  the  use  of  these  words  by  many  reasons: 
1.  Because  he  was  a  very  old  man.  by  whom 
even  middle-aged  people  would  be  thought 
of  as  young.  2.  Because  he  was  conscious  of 
a  fatherly  care  and  love  for  the  disciples  of 
Christ.  3.  Because  he  had  been  instrumental 
in  the  conversion,  or  rather  regeneration 
(reKi'ia),  of  many  of  those  to  whom  he  wrote. 
Paul  uses  the  same  words  for  this  reason  in 
Gal.  4:  19;  compare  1  Cor.  4:  15.  4.  Because 
they  possessed  a  humble,  simple,  childlike 
nature,  after  conversion  (see  Matt.  18:  3,  4, 
5,  6,  10),  which  drew  them  to  him  as  their 
spiritual  guide  and  overseer.  5.  Because  in 
their  present  imperfect  and  dependent  state, 
they  needed  to  be  led  by  further  instruction 
into  the  light  of  doctrine  and  life.  The  term 
'little'  is  undoubtedlj'  expressive  of  endear- 
ment. And  John  uses  the  whole  phrase  in 
the  most  eager  aflectionate  solicitude  for  the 
welfare  of  the  persons  to  whom  it  applies. 
The  phrase  itself  is  a  loving  appeal  and  pro- 
tecting assurance.  These  things  write  I 
unto  you,  that  ye  «in  not.  One  might 
connect  this  very  closely,  and  almost  exclu- 
sively, with  the  last  verse  of  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  say:  "That  ye  sin  not'' — the 
sin  just  spoken  of;  to  wit,  that  of  making 
God  a  liar.  But  beyond  question  our  verse 
has  a  broader  connection,  through  the  expres- 
sion 'these  things'  (rauTa),  with  the  preced- 
ing chapter;  and  the  sin  sought  to  be  pre- 
vented is  more  general.  John  had  just  told 
how  men  come  into  conscious  fellowship  with 


God.  It  is  not  by  ignoring  their  sins,  but  by 
recognizing  and  confessing  them,  and  then 
feeling  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  has  cleansed 
away  all  guilt.  Freed  in  this  gospel  manner 
from  all  unrighteousness,  they  come  into  holy 
light,  and  have  fellowship  with  God.  Now 
it  is  this  comprehensive  matter  which  John 
saj'S  he  writes,  that  his  readers  sin  not.  And 
what  he  had  thus  said  would  tend  to  produce 
this  effect.  1.  Because  it  pointed  out  to  them 
their  faults  and  their  liability  to  sin.  This  of 
itself  would  put  them  on  their  guard  against 
sinning.  2.  Because  it  inculcated  the  duty  of 
confession,  and  where  one  is  under  a  law  to 
uncover  his  sins  it  makes  him  more  careful 
about  contracting  sins  which  he  must  thus 
uncover  and  confess.  3.  Because  if  they 
should  thus  come  into  the  blessed  sense  of 
complete  cleansing,  or  justification,  through 
the  blood  of  Christ,  that  very  state  of  con- 
scious cleansing  would  be  the  best  possible 
preservative  against  subsequent  sins.  The 
consciousness  of  being  justified  from  past  sins 
is  the  best  foundation  of  holy  living  after- 
wards. In  fact,  there  is  no  evangelical  holi- 
ness which  does  not  spring  from  a  sense  of 
justification.  If,  therefore,  says  John,  I  can 
get  you,  through  humble  confession,  to  feel 
the  perfect  cleansing  of  the  atoning  blood,  I 
lay  the  basis  of  a  holy  life  in  you.  The  re- 
maining old  nature  in  you  is  a  sinning  nature, 
but  you  will  sin  the  less,  you  will  more  and 
more  overcome,  when  once  you  feel  justified. 
What  John  says  is  a  suggestive  statement  of 
the  truth,  that  a  holy  life,  a  sin-conquering 
life,  can  only  come  from  a  sense  of  pardon; 
that  progressive  sanctification  is  from  the 
fountain  of  an  ever  newly  realized  justifica- 
tion. And  if  any  man  (edc  n?)  sin,  we  have, 
etc.  The  term  'we'  shows  that  the  supposed 
case  is  within  the  Christian  ranks.  It  is  sin 
after  one  is  forgiven  that  is  supposed,  and  for 
which  provision  in  the  gospel  is  expressly 
asserted.  It  is  as  if  John  had  said:  "The 
aim  of  the  gospel,  as  a  ready  means  of  cleans- 
ing, is  not  to  encourage  but  to  prevent  sin- 
ning— that  ye  maj'  not  sin;  and  (xa.)  still  do 
nut  be  cast  down  if  sin  transpires;  for  while 


14 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


2  And  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins:  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world. 


an  1  Advocate  with   the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
2  righteous :  and  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins ; 


1  Or,  Comforter ;  or,  Helper.     Or.  Paraclete. 


holiness  is  your  aim,  though  there  may  be 
failures,  Christ  is  your  friend,  and  he  will 
stand  for  you.  It  is  a  word  of  animation  for 
those  who  feel  the  holy  design  of  the  gospel 
and  are  striving  to  realize  it,  while  they  are 
painfully  conscious  of  remaining  sin.  An 
advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  (better,  who  is)  righteous.  The  adjec- 
tive has  no  article,  and  is  simply  predicative. 
The  whole  expression  declares  a  fact  and  doc- 
trine most  wonderful,  most  comforting.  But 
only  Christians  can  claim  the  fact  for  them- 
selves. Christ  is  the  Advocate  of  his  people 
only.  'We  have,'  etc.  It  was  so  in  chapter 
17  of  the  Gospel  of  John;  it  is  so  in  heaven 
to-day;  it  will  be  so  at  the  judgment  day. 
God  the  Father  is  light,  and  in  him  there  is 
no  darkness  at  all.  The  least  sin  is  an  infinite 
evil,  and  an  infinite  offense  against  God's 
nature.  A  sin,  by  whomsoever  committed, 
has  a  germ  of  hell  in  it.  If  the  work  of  Christ 
did  not  continue  to  avail  for  men  after  their 
conversion,  their  sins  would  consign  them 
again  to  perdition,  through  the  necessary 
action  of  divine  justice.  Christians  need 
effectual  advocacy  to  shield  them  after  they 
are  converted.  The  word  'advocate,'  or  par- 
aclete, here  used  is  the  same  which  is  applied 
to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  John  14:  16,  26;  15:  26; 
16:  7,  and  is  there  rendered  "Comforter." 
In  John  14:  16,  the  name  is  impliedly  given 
to  Christ  as  well.  It  belongs  to  one  who  is 
called  to  the  side,  or  help,  of  another  (n-apa 
and  (caAcu).  Obviously  it  fitly  names  the 
leading  office  of  the  Spirit  or  of  Ciirist.  Ap- 
plied to  the  Spirit,  it  designates  him  compre- 
hensively as  our  Helper,  inasmuch  as  he  takes 
of  the  things  of  Christ  and  shows  them  unto 
us,  and  as  he  becomes  an  intercessor  in  us. 
(Rom. 8:  26.)  [Christ  is  our  Advocate  with  the 
Father,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  Christ's  Advocate 
with  us.— A.  H.]  Applied  to  Christ,  it  desig- 
nates him  as  our  Helper;  but  whose  help  is 
chiefly,  and  wholly  so  in  our  passage,  as  an 
intercessor,  pleader,  proxy,  advocate,  for  us, 
in  heaven.  (Rom.  8:  st;  Heb.  7:  25.)  Christ  stands 
for  us  as  his  clients  in  the  court  of  heaven. 
He  is  there  with  his  atonement,  and  all  help- 
ful appeal  and  defense,  on  the  basis  of  it.     A 


prie.stly  advocate  {^".2),  and  he  will  clear  us. 
We  have  a  living  Saviour,  who  though 
ascended  is  still  working  for  his  people.  The 
advocacy  is  successful,  because  it  is  that  of 
Jesus  Ciirist,  ard  of  him  'righteous.'  Being 
completely  righteous,  he  could  atone  for 
others;  loving  righteousness,  he  would  vindi- 
cate divine  justice  while  pleading  the  cause  of 
the  penitent;  having  a  righteous  sense  of  the 
sinfulness  of  sin  and  its  eternal  judgment,  he 
would  feel  the  weight  of  the  matter,  and 
rather  die  than  see  justice  sacrificed.  And  if 
he  pleads,  it  is  not  on  the  lightness  of  the 
offense  or  for  sentimental  mercy,  but  with  the 
argument  of  the  punishment  endured  in  him- 
self. In  all  his  work  for  sinners,  Christ,  being 
righteous,  studies  the  interests  of  righteous- 
ness, and  identifies  himself  with  the  cause  of 
righteousness,  and  so  the  Father  regards  the 
advocate's  plea.  The  advocate  is  on  the  side 
of  the  law. 

2.  And  he  is  the  (rather,  a)  propitiation 
for  our  sins.  What  the  word  'righteous' 
(SUaiof)  somewhat  anticipated,  what  is  neces- 
sary to  the  plea  of  the  Righteous  One,  is  now 
expresslj'  unfolded.  The  advocate  is  himself 
(iuTos)  the  satisfaction  of  the  sinner's  penalty. 
What  a  warrant  this  gives  the  pleader !  Christ 
did  not  accomplish  the  propitiation  as  a  mere 
act,  but  he  was,  as  Ebrard  says,  with  his 
whole  being  and  life  a  personal  propitiation  ; 
and  the  propitiation  is  still  a  reality,  forever 
continuing  its  effect  in  his  person.  As  Lange 
says,  it  is  of  perpetual  validity  and  operation 
(«<7Ti).  He  who  is  a  propitiator  through  him- 
self is  propitiation.  That  word  has  a  great 
part  of  the  theology  of  salvation  in  it.  It  is 
of  God's  eternal  nature  to  be  just.  That  is  a 
fundamental  proposition,  standing  as  a  base 
of  granite  beneath  the  whole  gospel  super- 
structure. Everything  must  be  worked  out 
in  accord  with  that  proposition.  God  is  just 
towards  sin.  His  nature  burns  with  holy 
wrath  against  it.  He  judges  it.  Were  it 
otherwise,  he  would  not  be  God.  And  this 
judgment  is  not  accidental,  not  contingent, 
but  necessary  and  unchangeable.  Now  the 
Son  of  God  knew  this,  and  was  in  cordial, 
infinite  sympathy  with  it.     But  was  there  any 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  JOHN. 


15 


3  And  hereby  we  do  know  that  we  know  him,  if  we 
keep  his  coiuiuandments. 


and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  whole  world. 
3  And  hereby  know  we  that  we  know  him,  if  we  keep 


way  by  which  a  penitent  sinner  might  be 
saved  from  this  eternal  judgment?  Yes;  by 
the  Son  of  God  taking  the  sinner's  place,  and 
suffering  the  judgment  belonging  to  the  sin- 
ner. So  he  stood  as  a  sinner,  "made  sin," 
and  received  the  shafts  of  eternal  judgment. 
It  was  satisfaction  of  divine  justice.  The 
divine  propitiousness  ensues.  Thus  the  mercy 
of  God  towards  any  sinner  is  not  mere  mercy, 
but  propitiated  mercy,  a  mercy  that  regards 
justice.  This  is  the  mercy  the  publican  cried 
for.  (Luke  18:  13.)  Be  propitious  to  me,  he  said. 
The  entire  principle  is  powerfully  set  forth  in 
Kom.  3:  23-26.  See  1  John  4:  10;  Heb.  2: 
17.  And  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for 
the  sins  of  the  whole  Avorld.  The  whole 
moral  world,  impliedly  a  sinning  world,  con- 
sidered as  needing  propitiation  in  its  relation 
to  God.  The  expression  '  for  the  whole  world ' 
is  a  condensation  of  ''for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world,'  as  the  previous  clause  and  the  very 
meaning  of  the  propitiation  show.  A  brevil- 
oquence,  Ebrard  calls  it,  and  compares  John 
5:  36;  an  oratio  variata,  Winer  says,  and 
refers  to  Heb.  9:  7  and  Acts  20:  26.  Christ 
is  the  Paraclete  of  his  people,  but  the  propi- 
tiation of  men  in  general.  The  statement  is 
designed  to  set  forth  the  sufBciency  of  the 
atonement  for  any  number  of  sins  or  sinners, 
and  so  relieve  his  readers  from  all  fear  that 
they  might  exhaust  the  provision  before  they 
had  got  rid  of  all  their  sins.  John  says  it  is 
suflBcient  in  itself  for  each  of  their  thousand 
sins  (note  the  plural)  and  for  each  one  of  the 
numberless  sins  of  every  sinful  man  on  earth 
in  all  time.  Compare  John  1 :  29,  where  the 
general  doctrine  is  similar,  but  the  term  for 
sin  is  in  the  singular  number  and  collective 
sense.  The  condition  of  the  atonement  becom- 
ing effectually  ours  had  been  stated  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  and  did  not  require  repe- 
tition. This  condition  had  been  stated  to  be 
repentance,  including  confession,  implying 
indeed  faith.  (i:9.)  Paul  also  declares  that 
the  propitiation  is  through  faith  in  his  blood, 
or  made  available  thereby,  and  is  wrought,  in 
order  that  God  might  justify  him  that  be- 
lieveth.  (Eom.  3: 25,26.)  The  propitiation  is  for 
our  sins  as  often  as  we  will  confess  them,  and 
not  for  ours  only,  but  for  any  number  who 
will  avail  themselves  of  it  in  the  way  pointed 


out.  This  ought  to  give  confidence  to  any 
sinner  in  coming  for  salvation,  and  encourage 
any  Christian  in  his  desires  and  aims  to  be 
holy.  In  the  atonement  there  is  no  lack.  If 
there  is  any  lack,  it  is  in  us,  in  not  confessing 
our  sins,  and  so  receiving  the  benefit  of  the 
blood  of  Christ. 

3-6.  Obedience  the  Fruit  and  Evi- 
dence OF  A  LovilvG  Knowledge  of  God. 

How  shall  we  know  that  we  have  availed 
ourselves  of  the  propitiation  of  Christ,  have 
really  his  advocacy,  and  are  in  union  and 
fellowship  with  him  ?  The  writer  might  speak 
of  the  evidence  of  an  inward  witness  (s:  lO: 
Rom.  8:  16),  but  he  chooscs  to  cltc  here  the  evi- 
dence of  character  and  disposition  to  distin- 
guish those  who  have  entered  into  the  true 
effects  of  the  atonement,  and  not  in  mere 
name  confessed  their  sins.  The  connection 
(koI)  of  the  present  section  with  the  foregoing 
thoughts  is  thus  explained. 

3.  Hereby.  Herein,  or,  in  this.  We  do 
know  that  we  know  him.  Have  come  to  a 
knowledge  of  him;  the  tense  (perfect)  in- 
cluding past  and  present,  have  known  and 
still  know.  It  is  difficult  to  decide  whether 
'him,'  the  object  of  the  knowing,  refers  to 
God  the  Father  or  to  Christ  the  Son.  The 
exegetes  are  much  divided  on  the  point.  We 
think  the  reference  is  to  the  Son.  For,  1. 
That  is  the  most  obvious  and  immediate  ante- 
cedent. 2.  When  the  keeping  of  his  com- 
mandments and  his  word  is  spoken  of  in  the 
context,  it  is  more  natural  to  think  of  the 
commands  and  word  of  Christ,  especially 
after  the  very  significant  usage  in  John  14: 
15,  2],  23 ;  15  :  10,  14.  These  parallel  passages 
in  the  Gospel  of  John  decide  the  reference 
with  great  certainty.  The  express  mention 
of  God,  when  occasion  calls  for  it,  in  verse  5, 
confirms  our  view.  Nor  does  the  change  of 
pronoun  (from  auros  to  exeii/o?)  at  the  close  of 
ver.  6  weaken  our  position,  since  Christ  is  there 
thought  of  in  a  remote  condition — namely, 
on  earth  in  the  flesh — and  some  increased  em- 
phasis is  to  be  expressed.  Of  course,  knowledge 
of  the  Son  involves  knowledge  of  the  Father 
likewise,  but  the  particular  reference  is  to  the 
Son.  The  knowing  that  we  know  denotes  the 
coming  of  assurance  into  Christian  experience. 
The  apostle  had  before  told  us  how  we  can 


16 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


4  He  that  salth,  I  know  him,  and  keepeth  not  his 
commandments,  is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him. 


4  his  commandments.    He  that  saith,  I  know  him, 


come  into  immediate  fellowship  and  acquaint- 
ance witli  Father  and  Son.  We  must  take 
the  sins  that  rise  in  consciousness,  and  spread 
them  before  the  Lord  as  Hezekiah  did  Senna- 
cherib's letter,  (isa. 37:14.)  Instantlj' the  blood 
of  Jesus  is  applied,  and,  conscious  of  cleans- 
ing, we  enter  at  once  into  divine  fellowship 
and  spiritual  knowledge.  This  knowledge 
becomes  assured  by  certain  evidence.  As  to 
knowing  Christ,  there  is  a  kind  of  knowledge 
that  impenitent  men  have,  a  knowledge  from 
report.  But  when  one  through  confession 
and  atoning  blood  is  justified,  he  has  fellow- 
ship with  the  Son,  and  knows  him  personally; 
knows  him,  and  not  merely  something  about 
him  ;  and  knows  him  with  the  atfections,  with 
a  common  uniting  life.  When  we  know  a 
fact  we  receive  it  into  our  minds,  our  being; 
■when  we  know  Christ  truly  we  receive  him 
into  our  minds,  our  being.  "The  object  of 
this  knowing  becomes  the  substance  of  him 
that  knows."  (Lange.)  Intimate  knowledge, 
because  true  knowledge,  the  knowledge  of 
union;  the  knowledge  of  actual  taste,  experi- 
ence. This  meaning  of  the  word  (yu'wo-koj)  is 
common  to  John.  It  is  a  pervasive  idea  in 
our  Epistle.  Compare  John  17:  3.  Green 
says,  when  knowledge  involves  experience, 
this  is  the  word  (vivajo-ito),  not  olSa)  always  used 
in  the  New  Testament.  (Eph.3:  i9:  Phii.  3:  lo.) 
Now  such  knowledge  of  Christ  is  more  or  less 
self-evidencing.  But  there  is  confirming  evi- 
dence bej'ond  itself.  We  know  that  we  have 
this  knowledge,  if  we  keep  his  command- 
ments. This  is  the  evidence  implied  in  the 
word  'hereby,'  wMch  opens  the  sentence. 
'  Commandments.'  Those  found  in  the  gospel 
of  our  Saviour,  including,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  spiritual  duties  of  Christians  to  each  other, 
and  on  the  other,  the  precepts  which  Christ 
gave  respecting  his  two  simple  ordinances. 
"Love  one  another"  is  a  sample  of  the  former. 
"Arise,  and  be  baptized"  and  "Take,  eat; 
this  is  my  body"  are  specimens  of  the  latter. 
Neither  the  outNvard  observance  nor  the  inner 
spiritual  dutj-,  imposed  by  Christ,  is  to  be 
disregarded.  Neither  is  unimportant.  The 
disciple  of  Jesus  is  certainly  bound  to  obey 
one  PS  well  as  the  other.  He  has  no  discretion 
in  the  way  of  selection  or  variation.  Christ's 
will  is  paramount  as  to  any  gospel  command. 


Keep.  To keeptheLord'scommands involves 
three  distinct  things  :  1.  To  regard  them  with 
watchful  interest  and  approval.  2.  To  guard 
and  preserve  them  as  something  precious.  3. 
To  do  them,  to  obey  them.  The  disciple  is 
bound  to  exemplifj'  the  full  meaning  of  the 
word,  in  relation  to  any  command  of  Christ. 
(Ps.  103:  18.)  Now  John  puts  fortli  this  keeping 
of  the  gospel  commands  as  a  proof  of  acquaint- 
ance with  Christ.  By  this,  in  the  way  of 
deducticm  or  inference,  shall  3-e  know  that  ye 
know  him.  But  we  think  there  is  a  further 
important  truth  implied — namely,  that  this 
keeping  of  the  commands  reacts  upon  the 
knowing  act  itself,  and  clarifies  it.  It  is  a 
means  of  becoming  more  definitely'  conscious 
of  the  divine  fellowship,  or  of  the  blessing 
God  gives.  There  is  nothing  so  sure  to  clear 
away  doubts  from  the  mind  as  coming  into 
practical  relation  to  a  positive  command  of 
Christ.  Spiritual  knowledge,  at  first  dim  and 
uncertain,  is  realized  in  the  doing  of  the  Lord's 
will,  so  far  .as  we  know  it;  according  to  the 
words  in  Isa.  1:  19;  Ps.  119:  100;  John  7: 
17.  It  is  to  those  who  obey  him  that  God 
gives  clear  knowledge  and  assurance.  Some 
who  have  begun  to  believe,  are  longing  and 
praying  for  more  evidence  of  their  conver- 
sion. They  are  in  pain  about  it.  Now  let 
their  little  faith  begin  to  act  in  a  way  of 
obedience  to  gospel  commands,  and  they  shall 
have  their  desire.  Objectively  by  deduction, 
and  subjectively  by  intuition,  they  shall  know 
that  they  know  the  Lord.  The  light  of  life 
comes  in  following  Christ.  (Johii8:i2.)  By 
this  the  blessing  of  believers'  baptism,  so 
often  testified  of,  may  be,  in  part  at  least, 
understood.  It  is  God's  occasion  of  revealing 
the  light  of  life  more  abundanth*  in  the  soul, 
according  to  the  principle  of  our  passage. 
They  who  will  have  all  their  light  before 
obedience  reverse  the  divine  order,  and  the 
light  professed  is  without  its  credentials. 
"The  Gnostics,  by  the  Spirit's  prescient  fore- 
warning, are  refuted,  who  boasted  of  knowln 
edge,  but  set  aside  obedience."     (Fausset.) 

4,  He  that  saith,  etc.  Such  a  person  says 
what  is  not  true.  He  is  likewise  acting  a  lie. 
He  is  not  true  to  the  relation  in  which  he  pro- 
fesses to  be.  Believers  deny  their  very  nature 
if  they  do  not  obey  gospel   commands.     To 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  JOHN. 


17 


5  But  whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him  verily  is  the 
love  of  God  perfected:  hereby  know  we  that  we  are  in 
hiiu. 

6  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him  ought  himself  also 
so  to  walk,  even  as  he  walked. 


and  keepeth  not  his  commandments,  is  a  liar,  and 

5  the  truth  is  not  in  him  :  but  whoso  keepeth  his  word, 
in  him  verily  hath  the  love  of  God  been  perfected. 

6  Hereby  know  we  that  we  are  in  him  :  he  that  saith 
he  abideth  in  him  ought  himself  also  to  walk  even 
as  he  walked. 


know  the  Lord,  and  to  disregard  his  will,  are 
a  contradiction.     And  the  truth   is   not  in 

him.  Not  a  mere  repetition,  in  a  negative 
form,  that  the  person  lies;  but  a  more  radical 
and  condemnatory  statement,  that  he  is 
utterly  lacking  in  the  gospel  principle,  the 
new  nature,  the  true  religion.  See  note  on 
1:  8. 

5.  In  him  verily  is  the  love  of  God  per- 
fected. The  term  'verily'  (aATjflis)  here 
means  not  only  in  reality,  but  also,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  principle  of  truth  in  the  new 
man  ;  harmonizing  naturally  somewhat  with 
the  similar  word  "truth'"  (aA^flcta)  just  before 
used.  'In  him'  is  literally  in  this  one — 
namely,  the  one  who  keeps  Christ's  word. 
"The  love  of  God"  is  not  God's  love  to  us 
(Bengel),  nor  ours  to  him  (Neander),  nor  the 
reciprocal  love  between  him  and  us  (Ebrard), 
nor  the  love  commtinded  by  God  (Episco- 
pious),  but  the  principle  of  spiritual  love  in 
us  which  is  of  God  as  its  source  and  as  to  its 
nature  (4:7,8),  and  which  is  shed  abroad  in 
our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  unto  us. 
(Rom.5:5.)  It  is  God's  lovc  in  us;  the  divine 
element  imparted  to  us.  It  is  the  element  of 
the  fountiiin  found  in  the  stream.  It  is  not 
the  same  thing  as  the  knowledge  in  ver.  3, 
though  the  spiritual  knowledge  of  Christ  and 
this  love  of  God  imply  and  mutually  inter- 
penetrate each  other,  and  do  not  exist  apart, 
in  the  regenerate  man.  This  love  is  perfected 
in  us  as  we  keep  the  word  of  Christ.  It  is 
developed,  matured,  completed,  brought  to 
its  true  end  and  fullness,  through  obedience. 
Evangelical  obedience  is  the  carryitig  out  and 
completion  of  love  itself.  The  important 
doctrine  is  taught,  that  the  keeping  of  positive 
commands  is  necessary  to  the  completeness  of 
the  inner  life.  The  tree  is  not  complete  till 
it  bears  fruit;  neither  is  our  Christian  life. 
Query:  Is  not  the  relation  of  faith  and  bap- 
tism in  Mark  16:  16  the  same  as  that  of  love 
and  obedience  in  this  verse  of  John  ?  Here- 
by know  we  that  we  are  in  him.  'Here- 
by,' herein — that  is,  in  this  love,  enlarged  and 
matured  by  obedience,  this  being  the  thought 
that   immediately  precedes.      'In  him'   is  in 


Clirist.  See  note  on  ver.  3.  This  is  accord- 
ing to  the  antilogy  of  New  Testament  doc- 
trine, that  believers  should  be  in  Christ,  while 
Christ  is  in  the  Father,  and  so  our  applica- 
tion of  the  pronouns  in  ver.  3  is  confirmed. 
Being  in  Christ  is  one  of  the  deepest  facts  tif 
our  Cliristian  standing.  It  means  vital  union 
with  him,  asthebranch  is  in  the  vine  (Jui"'  is:  5), 
as  the  members  are  in  the  body.  (Eph.5::io.) 
It  is  not  a  moral  or  sympathetic  union  ;  but 
a  spiritual  union,  a  union  of  life.  In  him 
and  us  there  is  one  life.  That  life  depends  in 
in  us  upon  the  one  Holy  Spirit,  by  whom  tlie 
union  is  effected  and  maintained.  (icor.6:i7: 
12:  13.)  This  union,  as  our  passage  teaches, 
may  be  a  matter  of  assured  knowledge  on  the 
part  of  those  who  have  come  into  it. 

6.  Abideth  in  him.  That  is,  in  Christ. 
See  John  15:  4,  6,  and  1  John  2:  28;  3:  6  for 
plain  references  of  this  expression  to  Christ; 
also  our  interpretation  of  the  pronoun  in  ver. 
3,  5.  Proof  of  the  reference  is  cumulative. 
The  term  'abideth'  is  the  strongest  assertion 
of  the  permanency  of  the  state  of  union  with 
Christ.  Ought  himself  also  so  to  walk, 
even  as  he  walked.  The  pronoun  referring 
to  Christ  is  changed  (from  ourb?  to  Uelvo';'^,  be- 
cause he  is  for  the  moment  viewed  more  re- 
motely in  his  earthly  life,  and  because  it  is 
thus  that  the  emphatic  distinction  between 
the  subjects  of  the  verbs,  between  the  discijde 
and  the  exeinplar,  can  be  represented.  He 
who  cliiims  to  be  in  union  with  Christ  ought 
'  himself  (aiiros)  to  walk  in  the  path  of  loving 
obedience  as  that  one  (fx^lvoi)  walked  therein. 
'That  one'  was  in  union  with  the  Father, 
and  did  his  commands.  If  we  are  in  union 
with  the  Son,  let  us  do  his  commands  out  of 
divine  union  and  love  (Johnw:  is;  is:  lo),  copj'- 
ing  the  example  of  his  own  obedience  in  its  ex- 
actness (Matt.  3:  15)  and  cheCrful  neSS.     (Johnt:  34.) 

7-11.  A  Leading  Command  to  be  kept 
BY  THE  Christian,  as  Evidence  of  hav- 
ing COME  INTO  God's  Light,  is  the  one 
WHICH  Enjoins  Brotherly  Love. 

Men  hiive  been  happy,  yet  deceived  at  the 
same  time  as  to  their  spiritual  standing. 
There  is  a  far  more  certain  evidence  of  hav- 


B 


18 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


7  Brethren,  I  write  no  new  commandment  unto  you, 
but  an  old  commandment  which  ye  had  from  the  begin- 
ning. The  old  commandment  is  the  word  which  ye 
have  heard  from  the  beginning. 

8  Again,  a  new   commandment   I   write   unto  you, 


7  Beloved,  no  new  commandment  write  I  unto  you, 
but  an  old  commandment  which  ye  had  from  the 
beginning:  the  old  commandment  is  the  word  which 

8  ye  heard.  Again,  a  new  commandment  write  I  unio 
you,  which  thing  is  true  in  him  and  in  you ;  because 


ing  come  into  God's  light,  and  that  is  a  heart 
to  obey  the  gospel  commands.  Following 
Christ,  doing  his  word,  walking  as  he  walked 
— this  declares  the  new  nature,  and  perfects 
the  divine  love  in  us.  The  apostle  having 
thus  set  the  positive  gospel  commands  in  their 
true  relation  to  the  Christian  life,  it  is  natural 
for  him  to  recall  one  of  those  commands  in 
l^articular,  and  dwell  upon  its  power  to  dis- 
close our  religious  state. 

7.  Brethren.  The  great  textual  critics, 
Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  Tregelles,  West- 
cott  and  Hort,  substitute  the  word  beloved  for 
'brethren,'  in  this  place.  This  epithet  natur- 
allj'  introduces  some  expressions  on  the  love 
commandment.  It  recognizes  tho.*e  addressed 
as  persons  who  have  entered  into  the  circle  of 
the  divine  love,  and  are  especially  dear  to 
God  and  his  people.  It  marks  John's  own 
feeling  toward  them.  Standing  in  this  rela- 
tion to  him,  he  could  be  the  surer  of  their 
interest  in  what  he  was  about  to  urge,  and  of 
their  faithful  ajiplication  of  it.  I  write  no 
new  commandment  unto  you,  but  an  old 
commandment  which  ye  had  from  the 
be§;innin£C.  After  all  the  varying  and  elab- 
orate opinions,  written  in  the  books,  on  the 
referenceof  the  word  'commandment'  (citoA^, 
somet/ihig  enjoined)  in  this  place,  we  regard 
the  passages  ?> :  11  and  2  John  5:  6  as  proving 
that  John  means  by  it  the  injunction  of  his 
Lord,  that  we  should  love  one  another.  That 
this  command  was  pre-eminent  in  John's 
mind  is  shown  both  by  his  own  writings  and 
by  tradition.  See  Godet,  "  Com.  on  the  Gos- 
pel of  John,"  vol.  I.,  p.  61.  His  readers 
would  be  already  familiar  with  it,  and  with 
his  emphasis  of  it.  To  remind  them  of  it,  he 
needed  not  in  every  case  to  express  it.  The 
remotest  reference  would  be  understood.  A 
particular  command  referred  to,  if  not  ex- 
pressly named,  would  immediately  call  to 
mind  the  oft-repeated  paramount  one  relat- 
ing to  brotherly  love.  Possibly  there  had 
been  some  discussion  among  the  readers  as 
to  the  proper  description  of  this  command- 
ment, whether  it  should  be  called  old  or  new. 
If  so,  the  somewhat  abrupt  justification  of 
either  term  is  accounted  for,  and  the  readers 


would  be  all  the  more  aware  just  what  com- 
mandment was  intended.  This  command- 
ment, though  often  designated  as  new,  was 
yet  old.  It  was  no  recent  innovation,  no 
novelty;  but  was  prominent  in  the  earliest 
preaching  that  had  come  to  the  churches. 
From  the  beginning  of  their  acquaintance 
with  the  Christian  message,  they  had  had  be- 
fore them  the  love  commandment.  It  was 
therefore  old ;  not  in  the  sense  that  the  earth 
and  the  skies  are  old;  but  in  the  sense  that 
the  message  of  the  gospel  was  already  long 
familiar.  Christ  himself  had  said,  "This  is 
mj'  commandment,  that  ye  love  one  another,  ' 
as  I  have  loved  you."  It  was  his  particular 
injunction,  and  ever  since  his  daj',  for  scores 
of  years,  it  had  been  echoing  through  the 
churches.  Which  ye  have  heard.  This 
suggests  how  they  had  come  into  possession 
of  this  sweet  law  of  Christ.  It  was  not  their 
discovery,  but  a  revelation,  a  testimonj', 
brought  to  them  by  the  apostles.  Thej'  heard 
it  from  without,  when  they  began  their  life 
in  the  faith.  The  repetition  of  the  words, 
'  from  the  beginning,'  at  the  close  of  the 
verse,  should  be  omitted. 

8.  Again,  a  new  commandment  I  write 
unto  you.  The  word  'again'  is  simjdy  the 
introduction  of  another  form  of  statement. 
"I  have  stated,"  says  the  writer,  "that  the 
command  is  old;  but  again  I  have  to  say  that 
it  is  new  as  well.  Jesus  himself  so  entitled 
it."  (John  13: 34.)  "And  I  do  not  wish" — so 
John  would  saj-— "to  deny  the  lasting  name 
he  gave  to  it.  On  the  other  hand,  I  would 
retain  the  precious  name,  and  all  that  it 
means."  When  we  consider  John's  union 
of  thinking  with  his  Lord,  his  authorship  of 
the  gospel  bearing  his  name,  and  the  un- 
doubted familiarity  of  his  readers  with  his 
Lord's  precepts,  it  seems  impossible  to  suppose 
that  the  new  commandment  here  can'be  other 
than  that  named  in  John  13:  34.  Neither 
John  nor  his  readers  could  think  of  anything 
else  when  that  ex!)ression  was  employed.  How 
common  to  the  line  of  New  Testament  thought 
is  the  precept  relating  to  brotherly  love  may 
be  understood  by  consulting  John  13  :  34.  35; 
15:  12,  17;  Rom.  12:  10;  13:  8;  Eph.  5:  2; 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  JOHN. 


19 


which  thiug  is  true  in  hiiu,  and  in  you  :  because  the 
darkufss  is  past,  and  the  true  liglit  now  shiueth. 

y  He  tliat  saith  he  is  in  the  light,  and  liateth  his 
brother,  is  iu  darliuess  even  until  now. 


the  darkness  is  passing  away,  and  the  true  light  al- 

9  ready  shiueth.     He  that  saith   he  is  the  light,  and 

hateih  his  brother,  is  iu  the  darkness  eveu  uutil  now. 


1  Thess.  4:  9;  1  Peter  1 :  22;  2:  17;  4:  8,  and 
the  many  references  in  John's  Epistles.  Why 
is  it  called  a  'new'  commandment?  Because 
it  inculcated,  as  no  previous  commandment 
had  done,  a  duty  founded  on  the  exclusive 
and  peculiar  relation  of  Christians  to  each 
other  as  spiritual  kinsmen  of  Christ,  children 
of  the  tiew  birth,  and  members  of  God's  elect 
family.  The  general  dut^'  of  love  from  man 
to  man,  the  neighborly  and  benevolent  feeling 
that  all  men  should  have  towards  one  another, 
had  been  long  since  enjoined.  This  com- 
mandment wtis  as  old  as  the  law  itself.  But 
the  peculiar  love  which  the  regenerate  have 
for  each  other,  through  the  promptings  of  the 
new  life  of  Christ  in  them — such  love,  in  fact, 
as  Christ  had  for  his  own  disciples,  as  distin- 
guished from  others — was  first  brought  to 
light  as  a  distinct  duty,  and  made  the  subject 
of  a  command  in  the  Gospel  Dispensation, 
and  within  the  gospel  sphere.  As  Christ's 
feelings  "towards  his  own  were  different  from 
those  he  felt  towards  others,  and  as  members  of 
the  same  earthly  family  feel  towards  each  other 
an  interest  and  affection  which  they  cannot 
feel  for  others,  so  will  Christ  have  the  mem- 
bers of  his  spiritual  family  cherish  the  family 
interest  and  affection  which  their  new  rela- 
tion of  kinship  calls  for;  and  the  command 
expressing  this  will  is  a  new  command. 
Brotlierly  love,  in  the  meaning  of  Christ  and 
his  apostles,  is  the  family  grace.  Christ  first 
announced  it,  enjoined  it.  A  fresh  com- 
mandment indeed,  mtirking  the  New  Dispen- 
sation, and  the  intimate  kinship  of  the 
redeemed  people  under  it.  It  is  something 
of  which  the  world  knows  nothing.  It  is 
new  with  Christians.  Which  thing.  Not 
the  commandment,  but  that  which  is  predi- 
cated of  it — to  wit,  its  character  of  newness; 
or,  it  may  be,  the  fact  that  it  was  a  new  one. 
Is  true.  Is  realized  and  fulfilled;  becomes 
actual  truth,  a  lealure  of  the  truth  system, 
reflecting  God's  own  nature  of  light.  In 
him.  In  Christ;  in  him  who  gave  the 
new  coinmandment.  The  pronoun  'him,' 
introduced  as  it  is,  without  any  expressed 
antecedent,  indicates  that  the  writer's  mind 
is  full  of  the  thought  of  Christ  in  connection 


with  the  new^  commandment.  And  what 
new  commandment  should  so  readily  connect 
itself  with  Christ,  in  the  mind  of  John,  as  the 
command  to  love  one  another?  Hence  this 
is  the  one  which  most  naturally  falls  into  our 
verse,  though  unexpressed.  Its  character  of 
newness  is  true  in  him,  since  he  first  realized 
it  in  his  peculiar  love  to  his  people;  and  it 
was  true  in  the  disciples  addressed,  since  they 
were  among  the  first  to  realize  it  among 
themselves.  They  and  he  had  tested  it,  and 
knew  it.  With  them  the  new  commandment 
was  fulfilled  as  a  reality;  they  were  its  living 
examples;  it  was  new  in  them.  Because 
the  darkness  is  past  (or,  is  jjassing  avjay) 
and  the  true  light  now  shiueth.  It  is 
time,  therefore,  for  the  new  commandment, 
and  to  expect  its  illustrations  in  Christ,  and 
in  a  people  related  to  him.  It  is  time  for  the 
realization  of  what  has  just  been  said  of  it. 
It  corresponds  to  the  period.  The  gospel  day 
has  been  opened.  Christ  has  come,  the  light 
of  God,  the  shining  holiness  of  God  himself; 
and  now  all  that  believe  in  him  partake  of 
that  light.  The  nev/  life,  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
abounds.  It  works,  it  must  work,  in  the  way 
of  brotherly  love.  Where  light  is  there  is 
love,  in  God's  nature,  in  man's.  And  in  so 
far  as  God's  light  comes,  moral  darkness  flees 
away.  The  true  light  is  the  genuine,  ultimate 
light,  of  which  all  other  is  the  tj'pe.  Compare 
the  true  vine  in  John  15:  1.  On  'light'  and 
'darkness,'  see  note  on  1:  5.  It  is  remark- 
able that  in  the  Sanscrit,  Greek,  Latin. 
Teutonic,  and  Celtic  tongues,  God  is  named 
from  the  day,  skj',  or  shining  light. 

9.  He  that  saith.  His  saying  does  not 
weigh  or  prevail  against  the  moral  fact.  Pro- 
fession against  truth  is  lighter  than  air.  He 
is  in  the  light— in  the  light  of  God's  nature 
— that  is,  regenerate,  a  child  of  light.  "In 
the  cominunitj' of  light."  (Ebrard.)  Hateth 
his  brother.  The  brother  here  is  one's 
Christian  brother,  a  kinsman  in  Christ,  a 
fellow-partaker  of  the  light-nature;  and 
hence  the  object  of  the  peculiar  love  pre- 
scribed in  the  new  commandment.  This 
command,  as  we  have  seen  (ver.  s),  is  for  the 
children   of  God.     "It  prescribes  the  affec- 


20 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


10  He  that  loveth  his  brother  abideth  in  the  light, 
aud  there  is  none  occasion  of  stumbling  in  him. 

11  But  he  that  hateth  his  brother  is  iu  darkness,  and 
■walketh  in  darkness,  and  knoweth  not  wliither  he 
goeth,  because  that  darkness  hath  blinded  his  eyes. 


10  He  that  loveth  his  brother  abideth  iu  the  light,  and 

11  there  is  none  occasion  of  stumbling  in  him.  Bui  he 
that  hateth  his  brotlier  is  iu  the  darkness,  and  walk- 
eih  iu  tlie  darkness,  and  knoweth  not  whither  lie 
goeth,  because  the  darkness  hath  blinded  his  eyes. 


lion  which  Christians  are  to  entertain  towards 
each  other  as  distinguished  from  other  men." 
(Hackett,  MS.  notes)  However  benevolent 
and  kind  the  world's  people  are,  they  know 
nothing,  experimentally,  of  the  brotherly 
love  of  the  community  of  light.  But  the 
Christian  must  know  it,  and  exercise  it  toward 
a  brother,  else  he  denies  his  professed  light- 
nature.  If  he  lives  in  a  state  of  hatred 
towards  a  brother,  he  is  outside  of  the  light 
of  God,  which  is  also  his  love.  He  denies 
the  very  love-nature  of  God.  He  has  no 
recognizable  evidence  of  being  a  child  of 
light,  a  converted  man.  See  3 :  14.  How 
shall  we  love  God,  and  not  be  in  union  with 
our  kind?  Hatred  belongs  to  the  region  of 
darkness,  foreign  to  God,  the  realm  of  sin. 
In  ver.  3  John  hud  applied  the  commandment 
test  in  general.  He  now  applies  a  particular 
command — namely,  the  new  one,  and  judges 
a  Christian  by  it.  Until  now.  Though 
gospel  light  has  been  shining  many  years, 
yet  through  it  all,  up  to  this  very  moment, 
and  notwithstanding  whatsoever  profession, 
that  man  is  in  his  sins.  In  the  Greek,  the 
word  for  'darkness'  has  the  article  prefixed, 
as  is  usual  with  familiar  abstract  nouns.  See 
T.  S.  Green's  "  N.  T.  Grammar,"  p.  16. 

10.  He  that  loveth  his  brother.  With 
the  peculiar  love  required  in  the  new  com- 
mand— a  love  like  that  of  Christ  to  his  own. 
The  converted  do  have  a  peculiar  love  to 
Christians;  a  tenderness,  a  spirit  of  forgive- 
ness and  forbearance  towards  them,  a  delight 
in  them,  a  feeling  of  union  with  them  utterly 
inexpressible.  Abideth  in  the  light.  Abides 
consciously  in  it,  through  the  cherishing  of 
this  love.  He  has  the  evidence  of  being  in 
God's  light,  and  realizes  it.  It  is  perhaps 
suggested  that  one  way  of  losing  this  evidence 
is  to  neglect  or  violate  brotherly  love.  Such 
neglect  or  violation  destroys  one's  good  feel- 
ings, corrodes  the  new  life,  kills  the  sen*e  of 
fellowship  with  God,  damages  and  darkens 
the  whole  religious  life,  and  must  dissipate 
Christian  evidence.  But  if  brotherly  love 
continue,  the  sense  of  God's  love  continues. 
It  is  a  great  thing  to  abide  in  the  sense  of 
union  and  communion  with  him.     There  is 


none    occasion    of    stumbling    in    him. 

There  is  not  a  stumbling-block  {aKav&a\ov),  an 
oflense,  in  him — that  is,  in  the  one  who  loves 
his  brother.  There  is  nothing  in  him  to  cause 
himself  or  another  to  fall.  He  may  have 
faults,  but  they  will  be  so  covered  (Prov. io:i2; 
1  Peter  4:  8)  or  ncutralizc-l,  or  extenuated,  by  the 
presence  of  superabounding  love,  as  to  do 
little  harm,  and  it  will  make  easy  the  over- 
coming of  offending  things.  A  consistent  life 
is  easy  where  love  is.  But  how  the  harbor- 
ing of  the  spirit  of  hate  towards  a  brother 
aflfects  unfavorablj',  not  only  the  person  who 
persists  in  it,  but  others  around  him,  both 
saints  and  sinners,  while  it  lends  to  his  other 
faults  a  doubly  offensive  power! 

11.  Is  in  darkness  and  Avalketh  in 
darkness.  (John  u:  9,  lo;  12:35.)  Not  only  is  the 
hater  of  his  brother  in  the  darkness  of  sin  and 
error  personally,  but  all  his  movements  and 
ways  in  religion  are  those  of  a  man  who  walks 
in  the  dark.  There  is  not  the  firm  tread,  the 
confidence,  the  decision,  the  ease,  the  clear- 
ness of  view,  the  straightness  of  course,  of  one 
who  walks  in  the  light  of  day.  The  groping, 
blind  man  is  his  picture.  How  he  feels  his 
way!  how  uncertain  his  gait!  how  little  pre- 
pared to  avoid  the  flying  arrow!  How  solic- 
itous we  are  as  he  nears  the  edge  of  danger! 
He  is  at  the  mercy  of  circumstances.  He 
cannot  command  himself.  Such  is  the  image 
of  one  who  allows  any  unrepented  sin,  but 
particularly  that  of  brotherly  hatred,  to  lie 
upon  his  heart,  plunging  him  into  darkness. 
Knoweth  not  Avhither  he  goeth.  (f.cci. 
10:15.)  He  cannot  see  his  own  path;  he  can- 
not see  ahead;  is  uncertain  where  he  will 
bring  up  at  last;  cannot  tell  exactly  where  he 
is.  Why  is  this  so?  The  last  clause  answers. 
Because  that  darkness  hath  blinded  his 
eyes.  Blinded,  not  'hath  blinded,'  is  the 
exact  sense.  Blinded  them  at  the  first  sin, 
though  the  state  then  begun,  has  continued. 
Nothing  is  more  blinding  to  the  spiritual  eye- 
sight than  hatred.  It  will  take  away  one's 
power  of  discerning  the  right  and  truth  of  a 
case.  He  will  be  blind  to  whatever  is  redeem- 
ing in  the  one  he  hates.  He  cannot  perceive 
the  foolishness  and  inconsistency  of  his  own 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  JOHN. 


21 


12  I  write  unto  you,  little  children,  because  your  sins  |  12      I  write  unto  you,  mi/  little  children,  because  your 
are  forgiven  you  for  his  name  s  sake.  (  13  sins  are  forgiven  you  for  his  nauje's  sake.    I  write 


conduct.  How  poor  a  figure  he  cuts!  He 
seems  to  be  blind  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel 
and  the  mind  of  Christ.  He  seems  to  be 
blind  even  as  to  the  nature  and  duty  of  broth- 
erly love  itself.  Besides,  his  vision  of  the  true 
meaning  of  God's  word  is  necessarily  im- 
paired. The  whole  result  accords  with  reason 
and  experience  as  well  as  with  Scripture. 
Let  us  be  afraid  of  this  darkening  sin.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  John's  habit  of  circling 
his  thoughts  about  great  pairs  of  principles, 
or  moral  states— pairs  of  opposites  which  are 
mutually  exclusive,  and  which  do  not  admit 
of  any  middle  ground  or  mean,  such  as  light 
and  darkness,  truth  and  falsehood,  love  and 
hatred,  life  and  death,  the  spirit  and  the  flesh, 
love  of  the  Father  and  love  of  the  world. 
Between  these  principles  or  states  in  a  given 
pair,  there  is  no  compromise,  no  interming- 
ling. (2:21.)  They  are  strict  alternatives. 
Alliance  with  one  is  the  denial  of  a  part  in 
the  other. 

12-14.  Facts  in  the  Spiritual  Charac- 
ter OF  HIS  Keaders,  which  Encourage 
THE  Apostle  to  Write  to  Them  as  he 
Does. 

John  has  developed  a  system  of  experi- 
mental doctrine,  reaching  a  life  reflecting  the 
light  of  God's  nature.  Confessed  sin  washed 
away  in  Christ's  blood;  then  conscious  fel- 
lowship with  God;  then  obedience,  running 
especially  in  the  line  of  the  love-command. 
A  wonderful  exposition  of  the  law  of  the  new 
life!  There  is  presented  the  new  life  in  its 
principle,  method,  and  outworking — its  prin- 
ciple, union  with  God;  its  method,  forgive- 
ness of  sins  through  Christ;  its  outworking, 
obedience  and  love,  especially  brotherly  love. 
And  now,  having  completed  this  portrait  of 
the  new  kingdom,  and  applied  it  in  a  way  to 
test  severely  the  spiritual  standing  of  his 
readers,  the  writer  deems  it  meet  to  off^er 
some  words  of  confidence  (as  Heb.  6:  9)  and 
commendation,  causing  them  to  feel  that  it  is 
from  no  distrust  of  their  attainments  that  he 
writes  as  he  does,  and  thus  saving  them  un- 
necessary despondency. 

12.  I  write  unto  you.  In  relation  to  the 
love-duty  as  testing  their  spiritual  standing— 
the  great  matter  occupying  his  heart  and  pen 
when  he  begins  this  verse.     Little  children 


(reKfta).  A  name  of  endearment,  applied 
here  by  the  writer  to  the  whole  circle  of  his 
Ciiristian  readers,  and  recalling  their  new 
birth  and  tlieir  childlike  attributes.  See  note 
on  2:  1,  and  this  obvious  application  of  the 
word  in  2:  28;  3:  18;  4:  4;  5:  21.  Because 
your  sins  are  forgiven  you.  True  of  all 
the  Christians  whom  the  apostle  addressed. 
They  had  been  forgiven,  and  still  were  a  for- 
given people.  The  assurance  of  this  made 
them  seem  very  near  to  the  old  apostle,  and 
made  writing  to  them  a  great  pleasure.  He 
had  confidence  in  them,  and  therefore,  with 
the  less  misgiving,  could  lay  all  the  demands 
of  the  gospel,  all  the  tests  of  the  new  life, 
upon  them.  His  Confidence  set  his  pen  free. 
The  Christian  pastor  knows  what  it  is  to 
preach  the  great  testing  doctrines  freel3'  un- 
der such  circumstances.  And  this  strengthens 
and  fortifies  the  good  Christian  against  an 
evil  day.  How  much  more  heartily,  and  no 
doubt  usefully,  we  can  preach  these  things, 
when  we  have  confidence  in  the  Christian 
character  of  our  people,  and  can  say  so,  as 
John  did  !  We  learn,  too,  that  even  a  people 
walking  with  God  needs  thorough  gospel 
teaching.  What  a  great  fact  to  declare  con- 
cerning any  of  the  race  of  sinners:  'Your 
sins  are  forgiven  you ' !  There  is  such  a  thing 
as  full  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  John's  great, 
endeared  flock  knew  what  it  is.  For  his 
name's  sake— literally,  and  with  clearer 
meaning,  through  his  name.  [Rather,  "on 
account  of  his  name,"  and  the  name  repre- 
sents the  person.  Christ,  before  described  as 
"a  propitiation  of  sins,"  is  here  affirmed  to 
be  the  ground,  reason,  or  motive  of  forgive- 
ness. And  this  is  evidently  the  meaning  which 
the  author  has  in  mind,  but  has  not  clearly 
expressed  by  the  word  "through."  The  ex- 
pression is  of  great  doctrinal  significance. — 
A.  H.]  This  language  carries  back  the  mind 
to  the  method  of  forgiveness  announced  in 
1:  7  and  2:  1,  2.  The  obvious  reference  is  to 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  bore  in  himself 
the  punishment  of  sin,  and  for  whose  sake 
God  can  look  propitiously  on  each  penitent 
soul;  the  name  sj-mbolizes  the  atoning  work 
wrought  under  that  name.  John  says  'Ais 
name's  sake,'  without  giving  the  name,  be- 
cause the  name  by  which  they  were  saved 


22 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


13  I  write  uuto  you,  fathers,  because  ye  have  known 
him  thai  is  from  the  beginuiug.  I  write  unto  you, 
young  men,  because  ye  have  overcome  the  wicked  oue. 
1  write  unto  you,  little  children,  because  ye  have  known 
the  I'ather. 


unto  you,  fathers,  because  ye  know  him  who  is  from 
the  beginning.  I  write  uuto  you,  young  men,  be- 
cause ye  have  overcome  tlie  evil  oue.  ^  1  have  writ- 
ten uuto  you,  little  children,  because  ye  know  the 


was  already  so  deep  in  their  knowledge  and 
love. 

13.  Fathers.  Having  designated  his  read- 
ers generally  by  the  name  of  '  little  children,' 
and  predicated  of  them  the  blessed  fact  of 
the  forgiveness  of  their  sins  through  Christ, 
the  writer  now  gives  more  particular  empha- 
sis to  his  confidence  by  addressing  tiiem  in 
classes  according  to  their  age,  and  affirms 
great  things  of  either  class.  At  the  same  time 
he  wishes  to  forestall  any  possible  idea  of  de- 
preciation connecting  itself  witli  the  name  of 
'little  children.'  You  are,  he  would  say, 
indeed  'little  children'  in  your  new  life, 
humility,  and  relation  to  my  heart;  but  in 
respect  of  strength  and  maturity  you  are  men 
—  fathers  ripe  in  knowledge,  young  men 
strong  in  grace.  Ye  have  known  him  that 
is  from  the  beginning.  Namely,  Christ, 
who,  though  he  had  come  in  the  flesh,  lived 
in  his  divine  nature  in  the  beginning  with 
God  himself,  (i;  i;  Johni:  i.)  Him  who  from 
everlasting  was  in  union  with  the  Father, 
they  had  come  to  know,  and  were  by  him 
raised  to  divine  fellowship,  and  made  par- 
takers of  the  eternal  life  in  him.  To  know 
Christ  in  the  Johannean  sense  is  something 
very  deep  and  far-reaching.  See  note  on  2: 
3.  In  this  knowing,  we  are  vitally  identified 
or  united  with  that  which  is  known;  we  are 
conscious  of  the  new  life,  the  divine  union 
and  fellowship.  There  is  something  power- 
fully uplifting  in  this  experience.  In  it  there 
is  a  knowing  of  Christ,  not  only  in  liis  death, 
hut  as  a  Divine  Saviour  with  eternal  life  in 
himself.  This  knowledge  the  'fathers'  had. 
Young  men.  Christians  in  their  early  man- 
hood, a  prominent  class  in  the  churches  with- 
in the  eye  of  John.  He  testifies  that  they 
had  a  vigor  of  Christian  experience,  an  ath- 
letic activity,  at  the  farthest  remove  from 
childlike  weakness.  They  had  his  highest 
confidence.  Because.  For  the  causal  sig- 
nificance, see  note  on  ver.  12.  Have  over- 
come the  wicked  one.  The  word  'over- 
come '  (vKcaoj)  is  Johannean  ;  being  used  six- 
teen times  in  Revelation,  six  times  in  our 
Epistle,  and  only  four  times  in  the  rest  of  the 


New  Testament.  The  victory  affirmed  here 
corresponds  well  with  the  peculiar  tempta- 
tions of  those  in  early  manhood.  Nearly  all 
understand  the  wicked  one  (toi/  vovripov)  to 
mean  the  devil,  or  Satan,  the  tempter,  whose 
badness  is  so  pervading  that  he  is  altogether 

bad.      (3:  12;  5:  18;  Matt.  13:  19;  Eph. 6:  16.)       There    is 

victory  over  this  strong  one  and  the  sin  which 
he  fosters.  The  young  men  had  achieved  it. 
They  had  done  so  \>y  coming  to  a  knowledge 
that  tlieir  sins  are  forgiven,  and  to  a  con- 
sciousness of  union  with  God.  The  victory 
implies  this  knowledge  and  union.  Up  to 
the  point  of  such  knowledge  and  union,  Satan 
makes  a  terrible  fight  to  possess  the  soul.  He 
holds  it  in  darkness  and  bondage  while  he 
can,  and  has  power  over  it  till  it  comes  into 
the  knowledge  and  liberty  of  Christ.  But 
when  that  great  point  is  reached  Satan  is  con- 
quered. He  is  not  slain.  He  does  not  cease 
to  tempt.  His  huffetings  are  often  severely 
felt.  But  he  is  no  longer  owner  or  master. 
And  how  shall  one  continue  his  victory  over 
Satan  but  by  living  always  in  the  conscious 
acceptance  of  Christ?  While  the  justifying 
blood  renders  the  soul  happy  Satan  is  over- 
come. The  young  men,  then,  were  prevalent 
on  the  basis  of  a  gospel  experience.  That  is 
the  source  of  strength  to  the  spiritual  athlete. 
I  write  (wrote,  or  have  written,  eypaipo,  aor., 
not  vpo<J><o,  pres.,)  unto  you.  All  modern 
critics  of  the  sacred  text  give  us  this  tense  of 
the  verb.  "We  suppose  the  present  tense  got 
into  use  from  an  idea  that  the  second-named 
'little  children  '  {iraihia  not  r^Kvia)  were  liter- 
all}'  in  their  age  child-Cliristians,  to  be  co-or- 
dinated with  the  two  preceding  classes  of 
'fathers'  and  '  j'oung  men.'  This  idea  natur- 
ally conformed  the  tense  of  the  verb,  intro- 
ducing a  supposed  third  class  to  that  of  the 
verbs  introducing  the  other  two  classes  in  the 
category;  and  the  same  idea  held  the  whole 
sentence  to  ver.  13,  instead  of  allowing  it  to 
introduce,  as  it  should,  ver.  14.  But  the  man- 
uscript authority  demands  the  aorist  form  ; 
and  that  indicates  that  the  little  children  here 
addressed  do  not  form  a  third  class  with  the 
two  preceding  classes  in  a  division  of  age. 


Ch.  II.] 


L  JOHN. 


23 


14  I  have  written  unto  you,  lathers,  because  ye  have     14  Father,    i  I  liuve  written  unto  you,  fathers,  because 


known  him  tkat  is  from  the  beginning.  1  have  writien 
unto  you,  young  men,  because  ye  are  strong,  and  the 
word  of  God  ubideth  iu  you,  aud  ye  have  overcome  the 
wicked  cue. 


ye  know  him  who  is  from  the  begiuiiing.     '1   liave 

written  unto  you,  young  men,  because  ye  are  strong, 

aud  the  word  of  God  abidetli  iu  you,  and  ye  liave 

15  overcome  the  evil  oue.     Love  not  the  world,  neither 


The  change  in  tense  introduces  a  new  series 
of  statfiaents,  a  going  over  the  whole  matter 
in  a  changed  relation  of  time  or  point  of  view. 
Why  the  past  tense?  Beza,  Diisterdieck  and 
Hackett  say  it  is  the  epistolary  aorist,  tiie 
writing  being  for  the  moment  thought  of  as 
already  in  the  reader's  hands.  Others  think 
it  refers  to  the  former  part  of  the  Epistle.  The 
first  view  seems  forced,  and  the  passages  cited 
are  doubtful  parallels.  The  second  view 
misses  the  fact  that  the  thrice-repeated  '  write  ' 
relates  to  matter  just  written,  and  indeed  to 
the  very  essence  of  the  doctrine  enunciated 
up  to  this  point.  We  think  the  verb  in  the 
past  tense  relates  to  the  very  same  matter  that 
it  did  in  the  present  tense.  But  that  matter  is 
viewed  as  a  little  more  remote  from  the  writer, 
a  little  farther  back  in  the  past,  owing  to  the 
time  elapsed  since  he  began  writing  at  ver.  12, 
or,  more  likely,  owing  to  an  interruption  in 
the  writing.  I>ittle  children.  The  disciples 
in  general  are  thus  addressed  by  John.  Here 
the  Greek  word  (naiSia)  is  diflerent  from  that 
rendered  '  little  children'  before,  but  it  means 
essentially  the  same  as  the  other.  See  Matt. 
18:  3,  5;  John  21 :  5 ;  and  note  on  ver.  18.  It 
is  simply  a  lively  verbal  variation.  Alford 
and  Lange  maintain  our  view  in  the  interest 
of  harmony  of  structure  and  parallel  corres- 
pondence in  the  twf)  series  of  sentence.  Have 
known  the  Father.  What  had  been  said  of 
the  spiritual  knowledge  of  the  fathers,  in  the 
former  part  of  the  verse,  is  true  of  all  the 
disciples;  knowledge  of  the  Father  and  Son 
being  essentially  one. 

14.  He  repeats  his  confidence  in  his  readers, 
not  only  as  a  whole,  but  in  classes.  The  repe- 
tition is  made,  because  it  was  very  pleifrant  to 
John,  and  it  is  for  the  sake  of  deepening  the 
assurance  and  enlarging  the  testimony  at 
some  points.  This  testimony  to  the  decided 
spiritual  character  of  his  readers  is  still  ren- 
dered, because  his  testing  words  in  relation 
to  love  and  light,  hatred  and  darkness,  might 
seem  to  cast  doubt  upon  their  state.  He 
writes,  or  wrote,  not  because  he  doubted  tbein, 
but  for  the  very  reason  that  he  believed  well  of 
them.  Their  true  spiritual  character  encour- 
14 


aged  him  to  write  most  searchingly  and  most 

radically.  And  there  was  the  greater  pleasure 
in  writing  to  such  as  they,  because  they  would 
ai)])reciate  his  divine  doctrine.  Uecuusc  ye 
are  strong.  As  John  is  setting  forth  spiritual 
and  not  natural  endowments,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  he  testifies  here  to  the  spiritual 
strength  of  the  young  men,  which  was  so 
appropriate  at  the  same  time  to  the  more 
active  period  of  their  lives.  This  strength 
came  from  their  sense  of  joyous  unitm  with 
the  Lord.  (xeh.  s:  lO;  Eph.  6:  lo.)  Tliis  is  the  Way 
of  strength  to  young  and  old.  Strength  is  the 
unfailing  product  of  a  joyous  experience  of 
God's  love — strength  to  do,  to  bear,  to  hold  up 
the  Saviour's  name,  to  cope  with  Satan  and 
all  adversaries.  The  word  of  (»od  abideth 
in  you.  Their  birth  into  the  light  of  God's 
nature  synchronized  with  the  entrance  of 
God's  word  into  their  hearts,  (ps.  ii9:i3o.)  This 
word  is  that  of  the  gospel,  the  truth  of  salva- 
tion by  confession,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus. 
This  word  became  living  in  tbcMr  regenera- 
tion. The  word  thus  planted  abides.  It  is  no 
temporary  principle.  In  it  there  is  the  prin- 
ciple of  obedience  on  the  one  liand,  and 
steadfastness  against  error  on  the  other.  All 
this  was  exemplified  in  those  young  men. 
And  so  they  were  victors  in  the  contest  with 
the  wicked  one. 

15-17.  Thosk  who  are  Forgiven  and 
United  TO  God  must  not  Love  the  World. 

Having  written  faithfully  (s-n)  to  such  a 
people  as  his  readers  were,  tbeaiiostlecan  now 
warn  them,  and  all  the  better,  because  of  the 
confidence  which  he  has  in  them  and  which 
he  has  just  now  expressed.  He  warns  tliem 
against  the  worldliness  which  will  tempt  them, 
though  so  utterly  foreign  to  their  new  life. 
They  are  indeed  washed  from  their  sins,  are 
in  conscious  divine  fellowship,  are  victorious 
over  the  wicked  one,  have  the  word  of  God 
abiding  in  them,  but  thej-  are  not  yet  taken 
out  of  the  world,  are  still  surrounded  with 
evil,  and  the  remains  of  a  lustful,  covetous, 
proud  nature,  are  still  within  them.  For- 
given are  they,  but  not  yet  awaj'  from  the 
.scene  or  danger  of  sin.     They  are  iu  the  world 


24 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


15  Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  thai  are  in 
the  world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him. 


the  things  that  are  in  the  world.     If  any  man  love 
the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is   not  in   him. 


and  in  the  flesh.  Hence  the  need  of  earnest 
caution.  Having  such  great  and  glorious 
things  said  of  tliem  as  Jolin  liad  been  sa^-ing, 
thay  might  be  tempted  to  forget  their  inti- 
mate connections  with  a  worldly  existence  and 
a  fleshly  nature.  They  might  imagine  that 
with  their  divine  attainments  they  could  not 
fall  into  evil ;  that  they  were  above  tempta- 
tion and  worldly  influence.  Not  so;  "let 
him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest 
he  fall."  (1  Cor.  10:  12.)  The  freeing  of  the  soul 
from  guilt,  and  its  elevation  into  the  plane  of 
God's  light,  do  not  annihilate  the  sinful  nature. 
A  happy  spiritual  attainment  must  not  foster 
spiritual  pride  or  vain  confidence.  There  is 
still  a  law  of  the  flesh  warring  against  the  law 
of  the  renewed  mind.  The  new  life  is  a  plant 
in  the  midst  of  tares.  The  recognition  of  this 
fact  will  keep  the  most  rejoicing  Christian 
humble  iind  cautious. 

15.  Love  not  the  Avorld.  "Do  not  con- 
tinue to  cherish  that  affection  so  natural  to 
men.  A  negative  command  in  the  present 
(mt  iyawaTc)  forbids  an  act  already  begun ;  in 
the  subjunctive  aorist,  warns  against  one  not 
yet  begun."  (Hackett.)  'The  world'  here 
means  not  only  the  sinful  ways  of  the  world, 
but  all  objects  and  concerns  considered  as 
divorced  from  God,  and  as  an  end  in  them- 
selves. It  includes  all  that  may  receive  at- 
tention, and  become  an  idol  to  our  hearts,  in 
place  of  God.  In  the  unforgiven  man,  world- 
liness  is  the  governing  principle.  He  loves 
the  objects  of  nature,  or  the  walks  of  science, 
or  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  or  the  displays 
of  fashion,  or  honor  from  men,  or  pleasures 
of  society  or  business  or  family,  or  his  own 
thoughts  and  self,  better  than  he  loves  God 
or  his  will.  He  is  absorbed  in  the  things  of 
this  life.  The  world  is  his  thought,  life,  and 
love;  his  great  idol,  to  which  he  has  surren- 
dered himself,  and  now  gives  his  strength. 
But  having  received  the  new  life,  he  must 
cease  to  give  this  supreme  place  to  the  world, 
and  take  God  into  his  mind  and  heart.  He  is 
known  by  the  object  he  makes  supreme,  by 
that  which  his  life  as  a  totality  serves.  It  is 
implied  that  men,  from  their  very  nature, 
must  love  something  supremelj'.  Which 
shall  it  be,  God  or  the  world?    "We  cannot 


serve  two  masters.  "We  cannot  give  our 
affection  to  the  world  as  an  end  in  itself, 
and  at  the  same  time  love  God  as  God. 
"  But,"  says  one,  "am  I  not  to  love  the  world 
at  all?"  No;  not  as  something  outside  of 
God.  (Col.  3: 2;  Rom.  12: 2.)  You  may  love  the 
beauties  of  nature,  your  own  family,  food 
and  raiment,  etc.,  in  subordination  to  your 
love  of  God,  and  for  his  sake.  It  is  your 
duty  to  do  it;  and  thus  doing,  this  world  will 
help  you  to  love  God  the  more.  There  is  a 
loving  of  the  world  in  benevolence,  to  do  it 
good,  that  is  even  God-like.  (John3:i6.)  Nei- 
ther the  things  that  are  in  the  Avorld. 
One  might  claim  to  have  given  up  the  world 
as  a  whole,  and  yet  cling  too  fondly  to  some 
one  object  of  gratification,  like  Ephraim. 
(Hosea7:  8  seq.)  John  forcsecs  this  danger,  and 
so  changes  his  expression  from  the  general  to 
the  particular.  One  may  have  this  idol ;  an- 
other, that.  Let  each  avoid  his  particular 
idols,  his  peculiar  indulgences.  If  any  man 
love  the  world.  As  a  sphere  by  itself,  and 
for  itself.  The  love  of  the  Father  is  not 
in  him.  The  love  which  has  the  Father  for 
its  object.  The  relation  of  the  words  in  the 
conditional  part  of  the  sentence,  and  the 
alternative  reasoning,  call  for. this  explana- 
tion. Here  John's  method  of  holding  up  two 
mutually  excluding  principles  or  spheres  is 
strongly  illustrated.  See  under  ver.  11.  If 
one  love  the  world  supremely,  if  worldliness 
is  his  life,  his  governing  principle,  he  is  not  a 
Christian;  that  is  all.  He  worships  and  serves 
the  creature  rather  than  the  Creator.  He 
cannot  hold  a  filial  relation  to  his  Father  in 
heaven,  and  treat  him  as  a  Father  when  im- 
mersed in  any  earthly  idolatry'.  God  will 
not  give  his  glory  to  another;  will  not  divide 
it  with  any  mundane  good  or  gratification. 
For  God's  claim,  especially  as  a  Father,  see 
Mai.  1:  6.  For  the  same  alternative  prin- 
ciple, on  which  John  reasons,  see  Matt.  6:  24; 
Eom.  8:  5,  7  ;  2  Cor.  6:  15;  Gal.  1 :  10;  James 
4:4.  In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to 
compare  Paul's  contrast  of  the  two  covenants, 
and  his  statement  of  the  mutual  exclusiveness 
of  the  systems  of  works  and  of  grace.  If  one, 
then  not  the  other.  See  Godet,  "Com.  on 
Luke"  5:  36-38,  for  an  exposition  of  Christ's 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  JOHN. 


25 


16  For  all  that  w-  in  tlie  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesli, 
and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  aud  the  pride  of  life,  is  not  of 
the  Father,  but  is  of  tlie  world. 

17  And  the  world  passeth  away,  and  the  lust  therc- 


IG  For  all  tliat  is  in  the  world,  llie  lust  of  the  flesh,  aud 
the   lust  of  the   eyes,  aud  the  vainglmy  ot   hie,  is 

17  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world.  Aud 
the    world    passeth    away,   and    the    lust    thereof: 


thought  of  the  exclusiveness  of  the  old  life 
and  of  the  new. 

16.  The  design  of  this  verse  is  to  illustrate 
and  contirtn  (on)  the  strong  assertion  just 
before  made  concerning  the  utter  incompati- 
bility of  the  love  of  the  world  with  the  love 
of  God.  They  belong  to  opposite  splieros; 
they  come  from  wholly  different  fountains. 
One  is  from  beneath;  the  other  from  above. 
One  is  spiritual ;  the  «  ther  fleshly.  In  order 
that  Christians  may  better  see  what  the  love 
.of  the  world  is,  the  apostle  gives  specimens, 
or  instances,  of  the  various  forms  it  takes. 
Some  have  thought  that  he  intended  to  sup- 
])ly  an  exhaustive  analysis,  or  description,  of 
it.  But  it  is  only,  as  we  think,  leading  exhi- 
bitions of  it  that  he  puts  before  us,  sufficient 
to  show  its  essentially  grovelling  and  selfish 
nature.  The  writer  has  spoken  of  the  objects 
of  selfish  love  in  the  world.  Tiiese  objects 
are  now  singularly  identified  with  the  love 
itself,  in  the  forms  of  lust  and  pride,  and  as 
such  they  are  foreign  to  God.  They  take  the 
character  of  one's  selfish  desire,  and  become 
of  a  piece  with  it.  Or  a  worldly  love,  in  the 
forms  of  lust  and  pride,  having  its  end  and 
scope  wholly  in  the  world,  is  put  among  its 
own  objects  as  a  part  of  the  world,  and  hence 
foreign  to  God.  The  latter  account  of  the 
case  is  more  simple  tlian  the  former.  Either 
account  explains  the  easy  gliding  of  the  wri- 
ter's mind  from  the  objects  of  love  in  the 
world  to  the  desires  which  they  awaken. 
The  object  and  subject  are  a  virtual  unity. 
The  lust  of  the  flesh.  The  lust  prompted 
by  the  fiesh.  (oai.  s:  n.)  The  word  'lust' 
(eiTi.9vfi.U)  here,  and  in  the  next  phrase,  means 
longing  desire,  considered  as  inordinate.  The 
various  appetites  of  the  bodily  nature  are 
intended.  The  love  of  the  world  in  some  is 
shown  by  seeking  as  their  chief  good  the 
gratification  of  their  appetites.  (Phu.  3:  i9.) 
And  here  comes  to  view  the  drunkard,  the 
glutton,  the  epicurean,  the  libertine,  in  their 
various  stages.  The  lust  of  the  eyes. 
"What  is  the  relation  of  the  eyes  to  the  desire? 
It  is  subjective.  The  eyes  are  the  exciting 
cause  or  occasion  of  the  desire.  This  desire 
is  less  animal  and  more  intellectual  than  the 


former,  yet  no  less  sinful  when  gratified  for 
its  own  sake.  This  form  of  worldly  love  finds 
suprciiie  pleasure  in  tliose  things  which  gratify 
tiie  outward  sight,  such  as  raiment,  fashion, 
fine  horses  and  chariots,  i^alacos  and  lurni- 
ture.  Nor  are  those  things  whicii  gratify  the 
inward  sight  excluded.  If  one  lives  merely 
to  gratify  his  intellect  in  systems,  jiroblems, 
})hilosoi)hies;  if  lie  seeks 'art  or  science  for 
their  own  sake  only.,  and  not  with  the  higher 
end  of  loving  and  serving  God,  then  is  he  as 
really,  as  supremely  a  lover  of  the  world,  as 
the  devotee  of  dress.  The  pride  of  life. 
'Life'  (/3ios)  is  not  the  vital  i)rinciple  Ci^v), 
but  rather  the  manner,  course,  and  circum- 
stance of  living;  one's  worldly  state,  or  at- 
tainment. It  becomes  the  exciting  cause  or 
occasion  (subjective  genitive)  of  pride.  This 
pride  is  the  boastfulness,  swagger,  vanity, 
ostentation,  self-gratulation  so  prominent 
with  some  people.  It  finds  ample  means  and 
occasions.  How  it  grows  upon  one  when  in- 
dulged! How  plain  that  he  loves  the  praise 
of  men  more  than  the  praise  of  God !  This 
world  is  to  him  the  means  and  theatre  of 
vanity.  His  mind  is  filled  with  himself,  and 
not  with  his  God.  Unlike  Paul  (Gai.  6:  n),  he 
glories  in  the  show  of  this  life.  All  this 
"threefold  concupiscence"  (Augustine),  now 
considered,  is  strikinglj'  brought  to  view  and 
illustrated  in  the  tempation  of  Eve  (Gen. 3:6), 
and  in  the  temptation  of  our  Lord.  (Luke  4:3.11.) 
Is  not  of  («)  the  Father,  but  is  of  («)  the 
world.  Has  its  origin  in  the  carnal  nature, 
in  the  plane  of  this  world,  not  in  the  Father; 
for  the  mind  that  springs  from  him  is  directed 
to  him.  He  in  whom  worldly  love  prevails  is 
not  one  of  the  children  (reKvia)  of  the  Father. 
His  circle  of  life  difl^ers  as  much  from  the  life 
of  a  child  of  God,  as  the  whirl  of  a  top  differs 
from  the  orbit  of  the  sun.  A  man  is  to  be 
judged  by  his  prevailing  desires.  "John 
grasps  down  to  the  very  foundations  of  moral 
life,  when  he  reminds  his  readers  of  the  essen- 
tially distinct  origin  of  the  love  of  the  world 
and  the  love  of  God.  The  inmost  kernel  of 
the  matter  is  laid  bare."     (Diisterdieck.) 

17.  And  the  world  passeth  away.     An- 
other reason   why   we  should   not    love  the 


26 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


of:   but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  for-  I       but  he  that  doeth    the  will  of  God  abideth  for- 
ever, ever. 
18  Little  children,  it  is  the  last  time :  and  as  ye  have  |  18      Little  children,  it  is  the  last  hour :  and  as  ye  heard 


world :  Worldliness  is  not  only  totally  out- 
side of  God  (ver.  16),  but  it  is,  as  to  both  its  ob- 
jects and  its  desire,  transient  and  perishing. 

(lCor.7:31;    James  4  :  U;   1  Peter  1 :  24.)        The    passing 

away  is  not  annihilation,  but  rather  a  passing 
along  or  by.  It  describes  the  act  of  passing 
oflF  the  stage,  or  the  breaking  up  of  a  scene, 
in  a  play.  In  our  passage,  it  describes  the 
breaking  up  of  the  present  order  and  state  of 
things,  fcjellish  desires  and  their  objects  will 
soon  cease  to  hold  their  present  relations,  pass- 
ing on  and  over  into  darkness,  disappoint- 
ment, and  ruin.  The  Cosmos,  the  worldly 
order,  will  be  broken,  and  for  the  godle^^s 
soul  nothing  will  take  its  place!  Nothing 
but  a  disordered,  dark,  fragmentary  state, 
utterly  hopeless!  But  he  that  dueth  the 
will  of  God.     This  is  the  one  who  loves  God. 

(Ver.  3,  5;  5:  3;  John  14:  15.)  The  love  of  God  ap- 
pears in  its  completest  form  when  it  is  seen 
doing  his  will.  Herein  is  the  rounding  out, 
tlie  demonstration  of  our  divine  love.  Abid- 
eth forever.  Observe  the  present  tense.  He 
has  already  entered  into  that  divine  order 
which  will  not  be  broken  up,  but  will  increase 
more  and  more.  He  is  united  to  him  who 
passes  not  away.  He  is  delivered  from  a  per- 
ishable system.  He  carries  with  him  through 
death  and  every  possible  shock  the  unchang- 
ing object  of  his  love.  The  Christian  will 
have  his  present  God,  but  the  sinner  will  not 
have  his  present  world. 

18-23.  Attention  is  called  to  the  Ex- 
isting Antichrists. 

The  apostle  has  warned  the  members  of  the 
churches  against  the  sin  of  worldliness.  It 
was  an  evil  of  the  heart  to  which  every  one 
of  them  was  liable.  Hence  the  need  of  the 
best  saint  walking  cautiously,  humblj'.  Hav- 
ing warned  the  obedient  against  the  evil  lurk- 
ing in  their  own  hearts,  it  is  natural  for  the 
writer  to  .pass  next  to  a  form  of  hostile  in- 
fluence that  they  must  encounter  in  other 
men,  even  in  those  who  claim  the  name  of 
Christians,  but  who  in  reality  deny  Christ, 
and  in  heart  are  opposed  to  him.  God's  true 
children  must  be  on  their  guard,  not  only 
against  a  love  of  ihe  world  in  themselves,  but 
against  the  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing,  who, 
professing  to  be  Christians,  teach  doctrines 


which  in  elfect  destroy  Christ.  These  are  the 
hardest,  most  subtle,  foes  Christianity  has  to 
battle  with,  those  who  pretend  to  receive  it, 
and  at  the  same  time  are  undermining  it  with 
their  errors.  Open  infidels,  opponents  laying 
no  claim  to  the  Christian  name,  are  not  half 
so  dangerous.  The  Christian  religion  has  had 
more  to  suffer  from  those  professing  the  gos- 
pel and  at  the  same  time  perverting  it,  than 
from  all  the  world  besides. 

18.  Little  children.  This  term  {nmSia), 
the  same  as  in  ver.  13,  applies  figuratively  to 
all  the  true  saints,  with  reference  especially 
to  their  dependence,  their  need  of  care  and 
warning,  and  their  pupil  state.  The  other 
term  for  'little  children'  (rtKuia,  ver.  12),  as 
applied  to  Christians,  seems  to  suggest  more 
their  new  birth  and  spiritual  character, 
though  the  two  terms  practically  cover  very 
largely  each  other's  ground.  It  is  the  last 
time.  The  word  'time' — literally,  /(0?<7' — 
designates  a  season  having  defined  limits. 
"What  is  meant  by  the  last  such  season  here 
announced?  It  must  be  remembered  that  the 
assertion  was  made  eighteen  hundred  j-eara 
ago,  and  was  as  true  then  as  it  would  be  if 
spoken  to-daj'.  Is  it  not  said  of  the  entire 
period  of  the  Chri.stian  Church  ?  Wiien  Christ 
was  a.>^cended,  he  gave  the  Holy  Spirit.  From 
that  beginning  was  the  Dispensation  of  the 
Spirit,  to  be  continued  till  the  last  of  the  elect 
.'hould  be  brought  in.  When  the  Spirit  came, 
Peter  said  this  was  what  Joel  said  should 
come  to  pass  in  the  last  daj's.  In  prophetical 
passages  of  the  Old  Testament  the  expression 
"last  days"  is  used  almost  exclu.sixel^'  of  the 

Messianic    times.         (Gen.  49:  l;  Isa.  2:  2;  Micah4:  l.) 

The   expressions  "latter  times"  in  1  Tim.  4: 

I,  "last  days"  in  2  Tim.  8:  1,  Heb.  1:  2, 
"last  times"  in  1  Peter  1:  20,  "last  time  "  in 
Jude  18,  "ends  of  the  world"  in   1  Cor.  10: 

II,  "end  of  the  world"  in  Heb.  9:  26,  appear 
from  their  context  to  designate  the  whole 
gospel  period.  It  is  the  last  stage  of  the 
world's  religious  history.  There  is  tr.  be  no 
other  season  of  salvation,  no  added  forces  of 
redemption  in  some  after  era.  The  theory  of 
■<ome  that  another  more  powerful  Dispensa- 
tion is  yet  to  come  for  the  men  of  the  world 
is  virtually  denied.     Now  is  the  'last  time,' 


Ch.  IL] 


I.  JOHN. 


27 


heard   that  antichrist  shall  come,  even  now   are  there 
many  antichrists ;  whereby  we  liuow  that  it  is  the  last 
time. 
19  They  went  out  from  us,  but  they  were  not  of  us ; 


that  anticlirist  cometli,  even  now  have  there  arisen 

maijy  antichrists;  whereby  we  know  tlial  it  is  the 

19  last  hour,    ihey  went  out,  from  u»,  but  ihey  were 


the  last  hour.  This  is  the  last  Dispensation. 
The  great  ingatherings  of  Gentiles  or  Jews 
are  to  take  place  in  it,  and  not  beyond  it. 
And  as  ye  have  heard  that  antichrist 
shall  come.  They  heard  (aorist)  it  at  the 
outset  under  apostolic  teaching.  Comes — not 
'shall  come' — is  the  present  of  ordained  tixitj', 
prophetic  fixity.  (Alford.)  Is  not  the  con- 
tinuous appearance,  or  continually  recurring 
appearance,  of  antichrist,  or  antichrists,  char- 
acterizing the  Christian  period,  suggested  in 
this  present  tense?  'Antichrist'  is  a  name 
used  only  in  John's  Epistles  (ver.  22;  4:3;  2  Johu7), 
though  the  doctrine  of  antichrist  is  in  other 
passages,  such  as  2  Thess.  2:  3-7;  1  Tim.  4: 
1-3;  2  Peter  2:  1-3.  The  term,  in  its  Greek 
composition,  may  mean  exclusively  an  adver- 
sary of  Christ,  or  it  may  mean  one  instead  of 
Christ  and  by  consequence  against  him.  The 
prefix  (avTi)  signifies  over  against;  and  one 
can  be  over  against  the  truth  under  the  Chris- 
tiiin  name,  or  repudiating  it ;  against  it  in 
name  and  act,  or  claiming  to  represent  it  and 
to  stand  for  it,  yet  denying  it.  The  connec- 
tion in  which  John  treats  the  subject  shows 
clearly  that  his  idea  of  antichrist  is  that  of 
one  who  in  some  sense  stands  instead  of 
Christ;  taking  the  Christian  name  j'et  oppos- 
ing that  very  kingdom  o^  truth  which  the 
name  implies.  "We  think  that  Paul's  and 
Peter's  doctrine  implies  the  same  conception 
of  antichrist.  This  antichrist  may  be,  when 
fully  developed  (2Tiies3. 2:  3),  a  collective  body 
of  spiritual  opposition  falsel.y  claiming  the 
Christian  name,  or  the  leader  of  such  a  body. 
But  the  apostles  had  taught  that  though  this 
man  of  sin,  claiming  true  reliarion,  but  yet 
destroying  it,  should  be  fully  developed  near 
the  second  coming  of  Christ,  j^et  he  would 
have  liis  forerunners,  his  types,  all  the  way 
tlirough  the  Gospel  Dispensation.  After  re- 
ferring to  this  antichrist  Paul  declares,  "The 
mystery  of  iniquity  doth  already  work"; 
which  quite  accords  with  John's  teaching, 
'"Ye  heard  that  antichrist  comes;  even  now 
many  antichrists  have  arisen."  And  this  fact 
that  antichrists  had  already  appeared  was 
proof  that  the  last  decisive  Dispensation  had 
come:    Whereby  we   know  that  it  is  the 


last  time.  The  era  of  these  characters  is 
the  world's  last  era.  The  rise  of  such  men  in 
the  gospel  epoch  is  a  part  of  prophecy  and 
fact,  and  the  churches  must  not  be  disap- 
pointed or  shocked  by  it.  Here,  then,  is  our 
idea  of  what  an  antichrist  is.  It  is  a  fttlso 
teacher  of  the  gospel ;  one  who  while  profes- 
sing to  believe  the  gospel,  so  perverts  it  as  to 
destroy  it.  It  is  the  subtle  teacher  of  false- 
hood in  Christianity's  name.  The  fiercest  op- 
position is  within  the  temple  of  God,  and  in 
the  name  of  God.  (2Thess.  2:<.)  It  is  not  the 
professed  atheist,  or  infidel,  who  is  an  anti- 
christ. Those  mentioned  by  John  wore  pro- 
fessors of  Christ,  and  still  held  to  hiin  in  their 
way.  Their  portrait  is  in  Acts  20:  30.  and 
in  the  dark  colors  of  Jude.  Labelin?  them- 
selves with  the  Christian  name;  saying  and 
doing,  it  may  be,  many  Christian  things. — 
they  are  the  most  dangerous  foes  of  the  truth. 
They  catch  the  unwary  and  inex])erienced, 
while  they  teach  errors  that  go  to  subvert 
Christianity,  and  to  ruin  the  souls  of  men. 
FroTn  the  days  of  the  apostles  till  now,  the 
Gospel  and  the  Church  have  had  this  covert 
opposition,  and  even  now  there  are  nianj' 
antichrists.  The  apostles  have  forewarned  us 
of  it  all.  It  is  a  part  of  the  cost  to  count  in 
entering  into  Christian  relations.  It  is  some- 
thing inevitably  incident  to  an  advancing 
gospel.  Let  us  not  be  dismayed.  The  strug- 
gle is  not  doubtful. 

19.  They  went  out  from  us.  Said  of  the 
antichrists,  the  false  teachers  of  Christian 
doctrine.  So  far  as  the  philology  i.s  con- 
cerned, the  going  out  {(i^\eov)  maj'  mean  the 
going  forth  of  these  pcr.«ons  upon  their  mission 
as  professed  Christian  teachers  (see  4 :  1),  or 
maj'  mean  their  going  out  from  the  fellowship 
of  the  true  Christian  body,  separating  them- 
selves. The  latter  meaning  is  the  true  one,  as 
the  whole  tenor  of  the  verse  makes  evident. 
Whether  they  went  out  because  pressed  out, 
or  wholly  of  their  own  motion,  does  not 
appear.  Though  disagreeing  with  the  main 
body  of  Christians,  and  separated,  the3'  still 
claimed  to  interpret  the  Christian  doctrine, 
and  evidently  professed  to  be  Christian 
teachers,  and,  indeed,  the  true  ones,  else  they 


28 


I.  JOHK 


[Ch.  II. 


for  if  they  had  been  of  us,  they  would  no  doubt  have 
coutiuued  with  us:  but  t/iei/  went  out,  that  they  might 
be  made  manilest  that  lliey  were  not  all  of  us. 

21)  But  ye  have  au  unction  irom  the  Holy  One,  and 
ye  know  all  thiugs. 


not  of  us;  for  if  they  had  been  of  us,  they  would 
have  continued  with  us:  but  thty  n-ent  out,  that  they 
might  be  made  manilest  ihow  that  they  all  are  not 

20  of  us.    And  ye  have  au  anointing  from  the  Holy 

21  One,  2aud  ye  know  all  things,    i  have  not  written 


I  Or,  that  not  all  are  of  us 2  Some  very  ancient  authorities  read  and  ye  all  know. 


could  have  had  no  power  of  seduction  over 
Christian  minds  (ver.  26) ;  and  the  injunction 
to  try  the  spirits  (*:  i-a)  would  have  been  alto- 
gether needless.  Persons  who  stood  forth  as 
direct  opponents  of  Christianity,  outside  of 
the  Christian  pale,  were  already  distin- 
guished, and  needed  no  testing;  and  such 
would  scarcely  come  under  the  head  of  de- 
ceivers—for they  played  no  false  part,  wore 
no  mask.  But  they  were  not  of  us.  And 
they  never  were.  (Matt.?:  23;  johne:  70;  accsS:  21.) 
'  From  us,'  in  the  preceding  sentence,  and 
'of  us,'  here,  are  the  same  («f  imSiv)  in  the 
Greei<.  But  the  former,  with  its  verb  of 
motion,  has  a  local  meaning;  while  the  lat- 
ter, with  its  verb  of  being,  has  a  meaning  of 
spiritual  derivation,  affinit}',  or  relationship. 
These  men  had  no  vital  sympathy  with  the 
Church  of  Christ.  The^'  had  taken  the  Chris- 
tian name,  but  had  never  had  the  Christian 
i.ature.  For  if  they  had  been  of  us, 
etc.  The  words  no  doubt,  do  not  belong  in 
the  sentence,  and  the  statement  is  stronger 
without  them.  The  statement  is  explicit, 
that  if  those  men  had  been  true  Christians, 
they  would  have  abode  in  Christian  union 
and  fellowship,  they  would  have  remained 
Avith  us  ineff  i}^wv)  in  doctrine  and  Hssociation. 
Their  defection  was  proof  that  they  did  not 
belong  with  the  true  flock  (Matt.  7:  15),  and  the 
doctrine  is  implied  that  truly  regenerate  men 
do  not  depart  from  the  essential  Christian 
faith,  or  the  associate  life  of  the  Christian 
Church.  They  do  not  will  to  depart.  They 
are  kept.  But  [they  did  not  remain  with  us] 
that.  The  telic  'that' — in  order  that  (iva), 
dependent  on  an  obvious  idea  shaped  by  the 
last  verb,  expresses  the  purpose,  not  of  the 
seceders,  but  of  God  who  suffered  their  action 
to  take  place,  and  who  makes  the  wrath  of 
man  to  praise  him.  "  A  design  which  .should 
"be  accomplished  according  to  God's  counsel.'' 
(Ebrard.)  They  might  be  made  manifest 
that  they  were  not  all  of  us.  [Better, 
that  they  all  were  not  of  us.  The  negative 
particle  modifies  the  verb,  instead  of  the  word 
"all,"  and  the  sense  is,  that  none  of  them 


were  of  us. — A.  H.]  This  is  the  divine  pur- 
pose. The  language  is  diflScult  to  handle. 
The  apostle  begins  with  the  actual  secedirs  as 
the  subject  of  the  verb  '  manifested,'  and  goes 
on  to  declare  in  what  light  they  are  mani- 
fested, as  not  being  of  the  true  flock  ;  but 
before  he  completes  the  declaration,  he  com- 
pounds with  it  the  further  idea  that  those 
generally  who  claim  to  be  of  this  flock  are 
not  all  of  it;  and  the  course  of  the  seceders 
manifests  the  fact  by  tending  to  distinguish 
those  who  are  genuine,  and  tho.=e  who  are 
not.  "The  construction  is  a  mixed  one, 
compounded  of  two — (1)  that  thej'  may  be 
manifested  that  not  are  they  of  us;  (2)  that 
it  may  be  manifested  that  not  are  all  of  us," 
though  they  may  profess  to  be.  (Alford.) 
So  Liicke,  Diisterdieck,  Huther,  Lange, 
Ebrard.  Compare  the  teachings  of  1  Cor. 
11:  19.  There  is  then  (1)  the  general  fact, 
well  for  us  to  know,  that  there  are  the  spurious 
among  the  true  in  the  Church,  (2)  the  fact 
that  the  spurious  will  prove  and  declare 
themselves  sooner  or  later,  (3)  the  fair  impli- 
cation that  so  proving  themselves,  their 
separation  is  to  be  desired.  As  false  doctrines 
(ver.  22)  was  that  which  most  of  all  separated 
these  men,  we  find  it  does  make  a  difterence 
what  a  man  believes;  that  though  one  profess 
to  be  a  Christian,  yet  his  doctrines  nuiy  be 
such  as  to  show  that  he  cannot  be  a  Christian. 
He  may  be  ;imiable,  gifted,  apparently  de- 
voted, 3'et  there  are  errors  of  doctrine  which, 
if  he  believes  them,  show  that  he  is  not  a 
child  of  God.  In  other  words,  the  Christian 
standing  of  a  man  is  to  be  tested  bj'  his  doc- 
trines, as  well  as  his  life.  It  does  make  a 
difference,  or  signify  a  difference,  even  with 
a  man's  heart,  what  he  believes. 

20.  But  (while  all  this  is  truer  of  the  false 
ones)  ye  (emphatic,  in  opposition  to  the  false 
ones,  the  antichrists)  have  an  unction  from 
the  Holy  One.  They  pretend  to  be  of  the 
anointed  (xp«rToi),  while  ye  have  the  anointing 
(xpttT^ia)  indeed.  'Unction'  is  not  the  act  of 
anointing,  but  the. anointing  oil,  an  emblem 
and  name  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  whose  bestowal 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  JOHN. 


2{> 


21  I  have  not  written  unto  you  because  ye  know  not 
the  truth,  bui  because  ye  know  it,  and  that  no  lie  is  of 
the  trutl). 

22  Who  is  a  liar  but  he  that  deiiieth  that  Jesus  is  the 
Christ?  Ue  is  antichrist,  that  deuieth  the  Father  and 
the  Son. 


unto   you  because  ye  know  not  the  truth,  but  be- 
cause ye  know  ii,  aud  i  because  no  lie  is  ot  the  iiuih. 

22  Who  is  the  liar  bui  lie  that  deuielh  tliat  Jesus  is 
the  Christ  ?    This  is  the  antichrist,  ere«  he  that  de- 

23  nieth  the  Father  and  the  Sou.     Whosoever  deuieth 


on  believers  they  are  made  kings,  propliets, 
and  priests  unto  God,  and  are  one  in  life  with 
Father  and  Son.  '  The  Holy  One,'  from  whom 
believers  have  this  gift,  is,  in  this  place,  Christ. 
(Luke  1:  35;  Acts  3:  14.)  Christ  has  the  Holy 
Spirit  without  measure  (John 3:  si),  is  anointed 
with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his  fellows. 
(Heb.  1:  9),  and  this  he  gives  to  his  true  people. 
From  him  his  members  receive  the  unction, 
(p.-!.  133:  2.)  And  there  is  a  sense  in  which  they 
receive  it  from  the  Father,  inasmuch  as  Christ 
himself  does.  And  ye  know  all  things. 
The  Holy  Spirit  which  ye  have  enables  you 
to  do  so.  (Joi.nU:  26;  16:  13.)  [It  tnay  be  fairly 
doubted  whether  the  promise  of  Christ  in 
John  16 :  13  was  meant  for  all  Christians  in 
the  same  sense,  or  to  the  same  extent,  as  far 
as  knowledge  is  concerned,  as  for  the  apostles. 
It  included  inspiration  for  the  latter.  See 
''Commentary  on  John."  —  A.  H.]  The 
knowing  (olSare)  is  the  result  of  seeing  with 
the  spiritual  eye  opened  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  knowledge  is  qualitative,  not  quantita- 
tive; the  knowing  of  nature,  not  extension. 
The  knowledge  is  the  same  in  kind  with  that 
which  we  have  of  Father -and  Son.  (Luke  10:22-) 
"The  quality  of  an  jnfinity  we  may  know, 
even  when  we  cannot  know  its  quantity." 
(Joseph  Cook.)  The  knowledge  is  the  spir- 
itual discerning  of  1  Cor.  2:  14.  It  is  the 
discriminative  knowledge  of  John  7  :  17.  It 
recognizes  the  truth  when  it  sees  it,  and  dis- 
tinguishes it  from  falsehood  and  error.  It  has 
an  eye  for  it;  knows  it  as  the  bee  knows  the 
honey.  Of  course,  John  is  thinking  mainly  of 
the  doctrines  of  religion  as  the  object  of  this 
knowledge  ;  and  he  teaches  that  a  God-taught 
(iThess. 4:  9) mind  Cannot  depart  far  into  error. 
It  will  know  the  vital  truths;  and,  knowing 
them,  will  adhere  to  them.  If  this  is  true  of 
all  the  converted,  it  makes  them  one  in  the 
essential  faith. 

21.  John  again  (see  on  ver.  12)  assures' his 
readers  that  it  is  not  from  distrust  of  them, 
but  from  hearty  confidence,  that  he  wrote 
{eypa\lia)  the  plain  things  now  before  them; 
having  now  in  mind  particularly  his  admoni- 


tion concerning  the  antichrists.  It  is  because 
they  know  the  truth  (retiuction  or  image  of 
God's  nature),  and  its  utter  antagonism  to 
falsehood,  that  he  can  have  courage  and  hope 
to  write  to  them.  He  feels  that  they  will  under- 
stand and  appreciate  his  w(jrds,  and  rightly 
use  them  for  their  good,  contrasting,  in  this 
respect,  with  the  unsjjiritual,  unknowing 
errorists.  By  truth  and  life  he  describes 
the  doctrinal  positions  of  the  anointed  and 
the  antichrists  respectively,  and  their  utter 
mutual  exclusiveness  in  origin  and  matter. 

22.  The  apostle  proceeds  to  tell  us  what 
the  'lie,'  the  chief  error,  of  the  false  teachers 
is.  Who  is  a  (literally,  the)  liar?  The  arti- 
cle the  marks  its  substantive  as  one  that  has 
been  already  expressly  or  impliedly  men- 
tioned. "Implication  in  the  word  Zie,  ver. 
21."  (T.  S.  Green,  "Gram.  N.  T.,"  p.  13.) 
Paraphrase:  "  I  have  spoken  of  a  lie,  I  have 
said  virtually  that  somebody  has  been  lying; 
now,  who  is  the  liar?"  Instead  of  asking, 
"What  is  the  lie?"  the  writer  passes  vividly 
from  the  general  abstrac*  to  the  definite  con- 
crete and  asks,  "  Who  (implying  what)  is  the 
liar?"  We  might  also  say  that  the  implica- 
tion of  the  word  is  in  the  term  antichrists  as 
far  back  as  ver.  18.  But  (or,  except,  ei  iih') 
depends  on  an  implied  negative  answer  to  the 
question — He  that  denieth  that  Jesus  is 
the  Christ.  The  negiitive  (ovk)  in  the  orig- 
inal text  is  explained  by  supposing  the  prop- 
osition to  be  the  tenor,  or  form,  of  the  denial. 
Thedenj'ing  is  to  this  effect,  or  in  these  terms, 
thiit  Jesus  is  not  the  Christ.  For  idiom,  see 
Luke  20:  27;  Gal.  5:  17;  Heb.  12:  19.  This 
position  was  held  in  two  forms  (1),  that  .Jesus 
Christ  was  not  literal  man  (*:  2),  and  the  hu- 
manity being  denied,  the  Messiah.ship  was 
denied,  since  the  former  was  necessary  to  the 
latter;  (2)  that  Jesus  and  the  Logos  w-ere  only 
temporarily  and,  as  it  were,  mechanically 
connected  ;  and  as  the  Logos  and  the  Messiah 
were  held  to  be  cssentiallj'  identical,  so  .Jesus 
could  not  be  the  Christ,  or  Messiah.  See  his- 
tory' of  the  Gnostic  Ccrinthus.  Jesus  might  be 
accepted  in  a  sense;  and  so  Christ,  in  a  sense; 


30 


L  JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


23  Whosoever denieth  the  Son,  the  same  hath  not  the 
Faiher:  Ibul]  he  t/iat  ackiwwledgelh  the  Hon  hath  the 
li'ai.iitr  aliij. 

^4  Let  that  therefore  abide  in  you,  which  ye  have 
heard  Irum  tlie  beginning.  If  that  which  ye  have 
heard  Iroin  the  beginning  shall  remain  in  you,  ye  also 
shail  continue  in  lue  Sou,  and  in  the  Father. 


the  Son,  the  same  hath  not  the  Father:  he  thatcon- 

24  fesseth  the  Son  hath  the  Father  also.  As  for  you, 
let  that  abide  in  you  which  ye  heard  from  the  begin- 
ning. If  that  which  ye  heard  from  the  begin- 
ning abide  in  you,  yc  also  shall  abide  in  the  Son, 

25  and  in  the  Father.    And  this  is  the  promise  which 


but  that  Je.sus  was  the  Clirist  was  denied. 
He  is  auticlirist.  Belter,  2Vds  is  the  anti- 
christ.  (Revised  Versiun.)  This  one  who  de- 
nies that  Jesus  is  the  Clirist  is  to  be  identified 
with  the  (already  mentioned)  antichrist. 
That  denieth  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
Appositioiial  clause  further  defining  the  anti- 
christ, equivalent  to  even  he  that  denieth, 
etc.  (Kevised  Version.)  To  deny  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ  is  to  deny  the  Son  of  God, 
since  the  ISon  is  Jesus  Christ.  And  to  deny 
tlie  iSoiiship  is  to  deny  God's  natural  relation 
to  Christ  as  Father.  Hence,  Pather  and  8on 
are  both  denied.  God's  great  reason  for  hav- 
ing the  name  of  Fiithor  is  his  relation  to  liis 
Son.  If  that  relation  be  denied,  the  Father- 
liood  in  its  deepest  sense  is  denied.  Besides, 
God  the  Father  is  manifested,  and  is  under- 
stood, only  through  the  Son.  (Matt.  11:27.) 
Strange  that  the  deniers  of  Christ's  true  na- 
ture do  not  see  that  their  error  invades  and 
mars  the  true  nature  of  God  himself.  It  is  a 
generic,  ftir-reaching  lie,  affecting  the  whole 
system  of  truth  ;  and  the  words  of  John  New- 
ton will  come  for  utterance: 

What  think  ye  of  Chri.st?  is  the  test 
To  try  both  your  state  and  your  scheme; 

You  cannot  be  right  in  the  rest, 
Unless  you  think  rightly  of  him. 

23.  The   same    hath    not    the    Father. 

Every  one  who  denies  the  Son  is  evidentlj' 
destitute  of  him,  and  of  the  Father  also.  To 
be  without  the  Son  is  to  be  without  the 
Father,  for  the  Father  is  in  the  Son.  (JohnU:  9.) 
Not  to  have  the  Father  means  not  to  have 
union  or  communion  with  him  t.r  inheritance 
in  him.  (But)  he  that  acknoAvledgeth 
(con.fesseth,  as  in  the  Revised  Version,  is  the 
better  rendering)  the  Son,  hath  the  Father 
also.  The  translators  of  our  Common  Ver- 
sion doubted  the  genuineness  of  these  words, 
hence  their  italics.  Later  criticism  puts  them 
into  the  true  text.  The  confessing  is  the  oppo- 
site of  the  denial;  and  it  is  open,  express 
confession,  such  as  Rom.  10:  9;  Matt.  10:  32; 
Luke  12:  8  and  John  12:  32  emphasize  the 
necessity  of.     Nor  is  it  such  a  confession  in  a 


mere  intellectual  way,  but  in  a  spiritual  way, 
and  from  the  centre  of  the  soul.  That  con- 
fession secures  the  Son,  and  with  him  all  the 
riches  of  the  Father. 

24-29.  Abiding  in  the  Truth  and 
Abiding  in  the  Blessings  of  the  New 
Life  GO  Together. 

Having  spoken  of  the  position  of  the  de- 
ceiving antichrists,  and  of  the  doctrinal  dis- 
aster and  utter  spiritual  impoverishment  in- 
volved in  it,  John  turns  to  his  readers,  sound 
in  faith,  and  exhorts  them  in  the  spirit  of  lov- 
ing confidence. 

24.  Let  that  therefore  abide  in  you, 
etc.  The  Revised  Version  is  more  exact:  As 
for  you,  let  that  abide  in  you  which  ye  heard 
from  the  beginni^ig.  The  original  sentence  is 
not  completed,  as  the  opening  words  might 
lead  one  to  expect.  But  it  is  so  constructed 
as  to  make  the  pronoun  emphatic:  Ye,  on 
your  part,  in  contrast  with  the  false  teachers. 
From  the  beginning  is  explained  at  ver.  7. 
What  they  heard  from  that  time  is  the  apos- 
tolic doctrine,  especially  that  denied  by  the 
antichrists.  'In  you'  is  in  the  place  of  em- 
phasis. What  they  heard  with  the  outward 
ear,  the  apostle  exhorts  them  to  have,  without 
change,  in  living  union  with  their  hearts. 
"Keep  it,"  he  says,  "rooted  fast  in  warm 
convictions,  against  all  perversions  of  the 
antichrists."  How  often  John  recalls,  and 
uses  for  him.self,  words  from  his  well-remem- 
bered Saviour's  lips!  This  word  a6zrfe,  with 
its  deep  adjunct  'in  you'  (compare  John  15: 
1-10),  is  an  example.  If  that  which  ye 
have  heard  from  the  beginning  sliall 
remain  in  yon,  ye  also  shall  continue  in 
the  Son,  and  in  the  Father.  The  words 
'remain'  and  'continue'  represent  the  same 
original  verb  as  the  wf)rd  'abide'  in  the  first 
clause;  and  the  Revised  Version  does  well  in 
giving  it  the  same  rendering  in  every  instance. 
'  Ye  also,'  as  well  as  the  true  doctrine.  If  the 
true  doctrine  of  the  Son  and  Father  (note  the 
order  of  persons,  order  of  faith  and  experi- 
ence) abides  in  you,  j'e'in  turn  shall  abide  in 
them ;  the  truth  in  you,  you  in  the  Son  and 


Ch.  II.] 


I.   JOHN. 


31 


25  And  this  is  the  promise  that  he  hath  promised  us, 
even  eternal  life. 

20  Tliese  things  have  I  written  unto  you  concerning 
them  tliat  seduce  you. 

27  But  the  anointing  which  ye  have  received  of 
him   abideth  in   you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man 


26  he  promised '  us,  even  the  life  eternal.    These  things 
have    I    written    unto    you    con<-erning  tlieni   that 

27  would  lead  you  astray.     And  as  lV>r  you,  tlie  anoint- 
ing which  ye  received  of  him  abideth  in  you,  and 


I  Some  ancient  authorities  read  you. 


Father;  the  truth  in  living  union  with  you, 
you  in  living  union  with  them.  The  truth 
abiding  in  us,  and  we  abiding  in  the  highest 
spiritual  blessings;  these  go  together.  Divine 
union  and  fellowship  are  connected  with  a 
right  doctrinal  faith.  It  is  dangerous  to  spec- 
ulate one's  self,  in  the  slightest  measure, 
away  from  the  foundation  of  apostolic  truth. 
A  man  wrests  vital  truth  to  his  own  desola- 
tion. 

25.  And  this.  Namely,  the  reality  of 
abiding  in  the  Son  and  Father;  this  union 
with  tliem  just  spoken  of.  So  Hackett.  Is 
the  promise  that  he  (that  is,  Christ,  who  is 
the  centre  of  thought  in  many  verses  back) 
hath  promised  iis.  When  he  was  on  earth. 
Union  with  Son  and  Father  is  the  essence  or 
principle  of  that  which  was  promised — naine- 
ly,  the  eternal  life.  Even  (the)  eternal  life 
is  in  a  sense  appositional  with  'the  promise,' 
but  in  form  (Greek)  is  attracted  into  the  case 
of  the  intervening  relative.  In  John  17:  3, 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  Jesus 
Christ  is  substantially  eternal  life.  But  this 
knowledge  is  union  luith  its  object.  "One- 
ness in  will  with  God,  and  partaking  of  his 
nature,  is  itself  eternal  life."  (Alford.)  The 
eternal  life  is  divine  life,  or  spiritual  life,  the 
true  life,  or  the  life  indeed  (iTim.  6:  i9,  Greek  text), 
something  distinct  from  continuous  natural 
existence  which  sinners,  even  devils,  possess. 
One  must  carefully  mark  this  distinction, 
that  he  be  not  entangled  in  the  snare  of  ma- 
terialism. Men  who  already  possessed  natu- 
ral existence  received  the  superadded  gift  of 
the  life  indeed.  Eternal  life  is  the  life  of  the 
Spirit.  One  has  this  life  the  moment  he  be- 
lieves. The  interpretations  given  to  eternal 
life  by  materialism  and  spiritual  religion  are 
irreconcilably  different.  The  former  makes 
it  the  mere  carrying  on  of  natural  existence, 
so  that  notwithstanding  death  there  is  being 
afterwards;  while  the  latter  makes  it  another 
and  new  life,  beginning  the  moment  one  be- 
lieves, it  may  be  long  before  death  ;  .something 
which  does  not  make  natural  existence  any 
more  certain  after  death,  but  turns  it  into  a 


blessing.  Mere  conscious  existence,  tempor- 
ary or  eternal,  is  not  of  itself  necessarily  a 
blessing.  It  may  be  a  curse.  The  devils  find 
it  so.  Lost  men  will  find  it  .so.  Only  the 
new  life  laid  upon  it  can  make  it  a  blessing  to 
one  who  has  sinned.  Christ  did  not  die  to 
purchase  for  us  mere  continuous  conscious 
existence.  He  purchased  for  us  a  new  life, 
able  to  turn  conscious  existence,  otherwise  a 
curse,  into  a  blessing;  an  existence  out  of 
God,  into  a  blissful  one  in  God. 

26.  These  things.  That  have  preceded 
(see  note  on  1:4)  from  ver.  18  onward,  re- 
garding the  false  teachers  and  their  denial  of 
tlie  truth.  Have  I  written  unto  you  con- 
cerning them  that  seduce  you.  'Seduce 
you'  from  the  truth.  Doing  it  as  an  occupa- 
tion. It  is  the  act  of  deceiving  and  causing 
to  wander.  John  puts  the  faithful  on  their 
guard,  and  fortifies  tiiem  by  impressing  them 
witii  the  enormity  of  the  antichristian  error, 
!ind  its  logical  outcome.  He  implies  that  there 
are  aspects  to  the  teaching  or  acting  of  error- 
ists  that  are  seductire,  calculated  to  deceive, 
were  it  possible,  the  very  elect.  It  has  such  a 
part  of  truth,  or  is  so  agreeable  to  the  natural 
heart,  or  is  aceomjianied  with  such  professions 
of  sincerity,  or  such  appearance  of  amiability, 
or  invites  to  such  associations,  or  so  flatters 
the  vanity  of  intellectualism  or  singularity, 
that  it  is  adapted  to  deceive  ;  and  the  warning 
must  be  emphatic. 

27.  But  the  anointing  which  ye  have 
received  of  him  abideth  in  you.  The 
Revised  Version  is  more  literal :  And  as  for 
you,  etc.  See  note  on  ver.  24.  It  vividly 
contrasts  the  apostle's  trusted  readers  with  the 
doctrinal  seducers,  and  introduces  the  favorite 
testimony  of  the  spiritual  standing  that  made 
them  as  a  rock  against  all  error.  '  The 
anointing.'  Anointing-oil;  emblematic  name 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  must  be  a  reason 
why  here  and  in  ver.  20,  this  particular  name 
is  given  to  the  Spirit  when  his  work  is  regarded 
as  the  source  of  the  spiritual  knowledge  of 
Christians.  Is  that  reason  suggested  in  Rev. 
3:  18?     'Which   ye  have  received.'     When 


32 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  II. 


teach  you :  but  as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  of 
all  things,  and  is  truth,  and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as  it 
hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  adide  in  him. 
28  And  now,  little  children,  abide  in  him  ;  that,  when 


ye  need  not  that  any  one  teach  you  ;  but  as  his  an- 
ointing teacheth  you  concerning  all  things,  land  is 
true,  and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as  it  taught  you, -ye 
28  abide  in  him.    And  now,  my  little  children,  abide 


1  Or,  80  it  is  true,  and  is  no  lie  ;  and  < 


t  as,  <&c  .« . .  .2  Or,  ahide  ye. 


they  were  first  consciously  saved.  This  re- 
ceiving is  by  the  hearing  of  faith  (Gai.3:2), 
and  by  obeying.  (Acts5:32.)  'From  him'  — 
namely,  Christ  (2:  20),  who  has  the  Spirit  to 
give  to  his  people  in  fulfillment  of  one  of  his 
divine  ofiices.  The  one  ever  present  to  the 
apo.stle's  thought,  the  one  about  whom  both 
error  and  faith  chiefly  revolved,  the  one  run- 
ning as  a  life-current  in  all  the  Epistle,  needed 
only  a  pronoun  by  which  to  be  recognized. 
'Abideth  in  you.'  It  is  no  temporary  gift. 
Once  received,  the  Spirit  abides  in  us,  as  do 
his  graces.  (iCor.  i3:  13.)  True,  his  manifes- 
tations in  experience  maybe  hid  at  times; 
but  he  himself  remains  an  eternsil  possession. 
And  ye  need  not.  And  so  ye  have  no  need. 
That  any  man  teach  you.  There  may  be 
some  peculiar  meaning  in  the  word  'that' 
(IW),  some  sort  of  aim  or  purpose,  as  if  a  need 
of  knowledge  were  designed  to  invite  instruc- 
tion ;  still  it  is  simpler  to  take  Winer's  posi- 
tion, and  regard  the  word  'that'  here,  with 
its  verb,  as  used  in  place  of  the  infinitive  as 
found  in  Heb.  5:  I'i;  Matt  3:  14;  1  Thess. 
1:8,  a  usage  beginning  to  appear  in  New 
Testament  times,  and  now  universally  em- 
ployed in  the  modern  Greek.  See  John  2: 
25;  16:  30;  18:  39.  It  is  evident  from  Jer. 
31:  33;  John  6:  45;  Heb.  8:  10;  1  John  2: 
20,  that  there  is  a  knowledge  on  the  part  of 
the  regenerate — given  by  the  Holy  Spirit — 
which  supersedes  the  necessity  of  external 
teachers.  This  knowledge  relates  to  the 
nature  of  spiritual  objects.  It  is  qualitative 
and  discriminative.  The  objects  being  pre- 
sented, it  knows  the  true  through  the  Spirit. 
(1  Cor.  2:  n,  14.)  The  Spirit  in  us  does  not  reveal 
new  truth,  but  illumines,  certifies,  and  leads 
into  the  old,  and  roots  it  in  the  convictions. 
And  by  this  we  are  fortified  against  the  novel- 
ties and  errors  of  human  wisdom.  But.  In 
contrast  with  '  need  not.'  As  the  same 
anointing.  The  weight  of  criticism  is  alto- 
gether in  favor  of  the  words  '  of  him '  (Eevised 
Version  "  his  ")  in  place  of  '  the  same  '  :  The 
anointing  of  him — that  is,  of  Christ.  And  this 
rendering  helps  to  carry  the  mind  to  Christ  as 
the  subject  of  the  word   'hath  taught'   near 


the  close  of  the  verse,  and  the  one  meant  by 
'  in  him  '  at  the  very  close.  Teacheth.  This 
work  of  the  Spirit  is  continuous  and  ever 
present;  while  Christ  taught  (e&c&a^ev)  once  for 
all,  and  passed  to  heaven.  If  Christ  teaches 
now,  it  is  by  the  Spirit.  And  is  truth.  Or, 
better,  true.  Said  of  the  Spirit.  And  if  he 
be  true,  he  is  no  lie  (compare  ver.  21),  and  his 
teaching  is  exclusive  and  binding — his  teach- 
ing especially,  that  we  should  abide  in  Christ, 
for  ail  that  he  is.  And  even  as  it  hath 
taught  you.  The  'and'  naturally  introduces 
something  additional  to  the  Spirit's  teaching; 
and  the  'even  as,'  stronger  than  the  simple 
"as"  before  given,  naturally  introduces  some- 
thing that  backs  up  antl  makes  more  cogent 
the  lesson  coming  from  the  Spirit's  teaching. 
And  what  is  so  likely  to  be  that  something 
additional,  and  that  something  enforcing  the 
Spirit's  lesson,  as  a  citing  of  Christ's  own 
teaching  of  the  same  tenor  and  effect?  Then 
the  aorist  tense  of  the  word  'taught'  (not, 
'hath  taught')  points  back  to  the  definite 
historical  act  of  some  person,  other  than  the 
Spirit,  who  is  a  constant  working  presence. 
And  what- so  natural  as  to  think  here  of  the 
oral  teaching  of  Christ,  especially  as  hfttis 
brought  into  view  at  the  oj>ening  of  the  sen- 
tence, and  is  surely  referred  to  by  the  words 
abide  in  him  at  the  close?  And,  to  confirm 
all,  there  is  the  known  record  in  John  15:  4, 
that  he  did  teach  his  people  this  verj'  duty,  to 
abide  in  him.  Thi.«  teaching  of  Christ's  own 
lips,  we  believe  John  recalls,  to  enforce  the 
Spirit's  teaching,  as  against  the  seduction  of 
the  antichrists.  Our  rendering  of  this  dilficiilt 
passage  then  is:  But  ns  the  anoiniing  of  hi^n 
teaches  you  coricerning  all  things,  and  is  true 
and  is  not  a  lie,  and  even  as  he  (Christ  him- 
self) taught  you,  abide  (^eVcTe,  not  the  future 
ixtvfire)  in  him. 

28.  And  now  denotes  simple  transition  to 
a  new  phase  of  the  matter  of  abiding  in 
Christ.  John  had  just  urged  it  from  the  con- 
sideration that  it  was  the  Spirit's  and  the 
Lord's  teaching.  He  now  urges  it  from  the 
consideration  of  the  Lord's  second  coming. 
Little  children.    Humble,  beloved,  born  of 


Ch.  II.] 


I  JOHN. 


33 


be  shall  appear,  we  may  have  confidence,  and  not  be 
ashamed  before  liiiii  at  liis  coming. 

21)  If  ye   know  that   he  is   righteous,  ye  know  that 
every  one  that  doeth  righteousness  is  born  of  him. 


in  him;  that,  if  be  shall  be  manifo.sted,  we  may 
have  bcldness,  and  not  be  ashamed  '  before  him  at 
29  his -coming.  If  ye  know  that  lie  is  righleou.s,  3ye 
know  that  every  one  also  that  doeth  righteousness 
is  begotten  of  him. 


1  Qv.  from  him 2  Qt.praenee. 


.3>0r,  know  ye. 


God.  The  very  name  an  enforcement  of 
spiritual  obligations,  and  inspiring  loving 
obedience.  Abide  in  him.  In  Christ.  Re- 
pe;ited  from  the  close  of  the  preceding  verse, 
partly  from  the  importance  of  the  injunction, 
j)artly  that  the  apostle  may  lay  it  upon  the 
Iiearts  of  his  dear  ones  as  his  own  independent 
charge,  but  most  of  all  for  the  sai^e  of  enforc- 
ing it  with  the  new  consideration  of  the  ap- 
proaching second  advent.  The  certainty  of 
our  salvation  is  consistent  with  watchful  cau- 
tion and  eifort  lest  we  be  lost.  None  of  the 
men  in  the  ship  (Acts  27:  22-24)  shall  be  lost. 
Nevertheless,  "except  these  (men)  abide  in 
the  ship,  ye  cannot  be  saved."  (27: 31.)  God 
works  the  sure  result  through  our  free  acting. 
Means  as  well  as  ends  are  of  God's  purpose. 
Tiiere  is  something  wrong  about  an  assurance 
that  is  careless.  The  one  actually  safe  in 
Christ  will  try  carefully  to  abide  in  him. 
That  when  he  (Christ)  shall  appear  (bet- 
ter, if  he  be  manifested,  at  any  time,  as  he 
will  be  some  time),  we  may  have  confi- 
dence (or,  boldness).  The  boldness  is  that 
childlike  freedom,  that  perfect  sense  of  justifi- 
cation, that  up-looking  spiritual  assurance, 
which  they  have  who  are  consciously  in 
Christ,  and  which  they  will  have  under  the 
greatest  revelation,  even  that  of  the  Lord 
coming  in  tlie  air.  (iTheis.  4:  n.)  And  not  be 
aishamed  (slirink  with  shame)  before  (liter- 
ally, from)  him — that  is,  from  Christ,  the 
Judge.  The  expression  'from  (dn-b)  him  '  im- 
plies a  motion  of  the  body;  it  may  be  an 
averting  or  hanging  of  the  face,  caused  by 
the  sense  of  shame  belonging  to  conscious 
guilt.  This  feeling  is  the  opposite  of  that 
boldness  in  the  daj' of  judgment  (*:  n),  cheer- 
ing those  united  to  Christ.  At  his  coming. 
In  his  'coming'  or  presence  {napovcna),  when 
manifested  at  the  last  day.  The  important 
word  occurs  but  once  in  all  John's  writings, 
though  several  times  elsewhere  in  the  New 
Testament. 
29.  If  ye   know    (as  a  fact)  that  he  is 


righteous.  The  previous  context,  which  has 
suggested  the  idea  of  righteousness  here,  de- 
mands that  the  word  'he'  should  relate  to 
Christ.  It  is  the  natural  subject;  and  it 
brings  us  back  to  the  very  character  of  Clirist 
with  which  the  chapter  opened  :  '  Jesus  Christ 
(who  is)  righteous.'  See  note  on  2:  1.  This 
character  of  Christ  is  suggested  by  the  bold- 
ness or  shame  felt  by  those  who  meet  him  at 
his  second  coming.  These  feelings  imply  the 
righteous  attribute  in  him.  Besides,  right- 
eousness is  alwaj's  thought  of  as  a  kind  of 
omnipresence  at  tiie  second  advent.  Ver.  '28 
suggests  the  opening  declaration  of  ver.  '29. 
Of  course,  if  'he'  refers  to  Christ,  'of  him' 
at  the  close  most  naturally  has  the  same  refer- 
ence. And  wh3'  may  not  the  believer  be  said 
to  be  born  or  begotten  of  Christ?  Strictly,  it 
is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  is  the  agent  in  regene- 
ration, and  it  is  Christ  who  works  in  the  work 
of  the  Spirit  as  much  and  as  truly  as  it  is  the 
Father.  [In  1  Cor.  4:  15  Paul  says:  "For 
in  Christ  Jesus"— that  is,  in  the  power  of 
Christ  Jesus  exercised  doubtless  by  the  Holy 
Spirit — "I  begat  you  through  the  gospel" — a 
passage  confirming  the  view  of  the  author. — 
A.  H.]  Ye  know  (experimentall3')  that 
every  one  that  doeth  rishteousness  is 
born  (or  begotten)  of  him.  The  doing  of 
righteousness,  as  a  tree  bears  fruit  and  as  a 
continuous  activity,  is  intimately  connected 
with  abiding  in  Christ.  It  is  doing  as  Chri.^t 
the  righteous  one  does.  It  is  acting  out  the 
same  nature  and  life.  It  is  the  proof  of  kin- 
ship, of  the  new  birth.  And  they  who  have 
this  relationship  with  Chri.st  will  find  their 
family  likeness  to  him  perfected  as  they  meet 
him  at  the  final  day  (3:2),  and  will  not  be 
ashamed.  It  is  3:  2  that  completes  the 
thought  of  this  verse,  and  brings  it  up  into 
relation  with  the  searching  parousia  noticed 
in  the  preceding  verse.  Spiritual  kinship  in 
the  new  birth  guarantees  moral  and  spiritual 
likeness,  and  such  likenesss  will  produce  the 
home  feeling  before  the  manifested  Christ 


C 


84 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  III. 


CHAPTER  III. 


BEHOLD,  what  mauner  of  love  the  Father  hath  be- 
stowed upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sous 


1      Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  be- 
stowed upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  children 


Ch.  3:  1-3.  The  Child  of  Grace,  Cher- 
ishing A  Hope  of  Glory,  Purifies  Him- 
self. 

The  Christ-nature  as  a  nature  of  righteous- 
ness, taught  in  2  :  29,  suggests  much  of  the 
thouglit  of  this  new  chaper.  "Verse  29  is  the 
conclusion  of  the  preceding  part:  but  it  is  in 
such  a  manner,  tluit  it  is  tlie  organic  germ  out 
of  which  the  following  part  is  developed." 
(Ebrard.)  Again  and  again,  by  the  tender 
epithet  of  "  little  children,"  John  has  re- 
minded his  faithful  readers  of  their  new-birth 
relation  to  God.  But  in  '2:  29  he  has  brought 
this  position  of  Christians  into  more  distinct 
view,  and  this  it  is — this  sonship,  or  rather 
divine  chUdship  of  the  believer — which  calls 
forth  the  admiring  exclamation,  with  which 
the  present  section  opens. 

I.  Behold.  See,  all  of  you.  Let  it  fill,  for 
the  moment,  all  your  thought.  Let  it  stand 
out  before  the  mind  as  a  lofty  object  before 
the  natural  eyes.  What  manner  of  love. 
What  peculiar  kind  of  love,  and  how  great 
love.  The  quality  and  the  degree  of  the 
divine  grace  in  the  case  are  both  marked.  As 
to  its  kind,  there  was  nothing  like  it  among 
men.  As  to  its  degree,  it  was  without  measure 
and  beyond  expression.  Such  is  that  love 
that  lies  behind  all  the  power  and  privilege 

of  salvation.       (John  3:  16;  R  im.  5  :  8;  Titus  .3:  4;   1  John 

4:10.)  The  tree  of  life  in  any  soul  is  rooted  in 
the  love  of  God.  The  river  of  life  has  its 
fountain  in  the  bosom  of  God.*  The  Father 
hath  bestowed  upon  us — literallj',  given  to 
ns.  The  name  is  suggested  by  the  particular 
grace  relating  to  sonship,  and  uttered  with  a 
personal  sense  of  the  filial  relation.  By  the 
giving  of  love  (James 4:6)  is  meant  the  bcstowal 
of  it  in  its  expression  and  effect.  Doubtless 
this  gift  of  love  connects  itself  in  the  writer's 
mind  with  the  gift  of  Christ.  That  we 
should  be  called  the  sons  of  God.  Better, 
children  of  God;  since  the  term  points  not 
only  to  relation,  privilege,  or  honor,  but  to 


a  nature  received  by  the  divine  begetting. 
Ever^'  true  Christian  is  one  whom  God  has 
begotten  ;  he  has  been  made  a  partaker  of  the 
divine  nature  ;  hence  his  spiritual  childhood. 
The  word  'that'  {'iva,  in  order  that)  brings 
forward  the  purpose,  or  designed  effect,  of 
the  wonderful  love  bestowed.  'Should  be 
called,'  by  whom?  By  God  himself,  and  by 
all  intelligent  beings  in  heaven  or  earth,  who 
sympathize  in  God's  judgment.  It  is  by  the 
Father  prinuirily  that  one  is  named  his  child. 
It  is  a  divine  title.  It  implies  divine  rec- 
ognition, and  adoption.  To  be  called  thus  a 
child  of  God  is  the  public  acknowledgment  of 
the  relation  instituted  in  regeneration.  Nor 
will  God  at  any  time  disown  the  relation.  To 
confess  it  is  of  his  love  and  delight.  As  an 
earthly  child  better  realizes  and  rejoices  in  it 
when  an  honored  pjirentfondly  recognizes  him 
as  his  child,  so  the  Christian  better  realizes  and 
prizes  his  divine  child-relation  when  assured 
that  the  Father  owns  it.  John  counts  it  a 
great  thing  that  such  as  we  should  receive 
this  divine  name.  Here  is  an  humble  sense 
of  his  own,  and  his  brethren's,  ill  deservings, 
which  enhances  the  wonder  of  their  recogni- 
tion by  God  himself  as  his  children.  The 
saved  sinner  feels  the  unworthiest  of  all. 
(1  Tim.  1:15.)  Divine  love  touching  a  sinner 
and  lifting  him  to  an  acknowledged  place  in 
the  divine  family!  Evidently  our  apostle 
views  the  title,  'children  of  God,'  as  peculiar 
and  distinctive,  and  belonging  to  only  a  por- 
tion of  mankind.  A  certain  class  of  religion- 
ists speak  of  all  as  the  children  of  God. 
There  is  a  remote  sense  in  which  all  are  chil- 
dren of  God — that  is,  in  virtue  of  creation. 
But  this  is  rarely  alluded  to  in  the  Bible. 
The  true  sonship  is  by  the  new  birth,  and 
spiritual  kinship  with  Christ.  AVe  are  chil- 
dren of  God  in  virtue  of  regeneration,  and 
union  with  Christ — union  with  him  so  as  to 
stand  in  his  relation,  and  receive  his  very 
name.    The  fatherhood  of  God  is  to  be  defined 


PHuther  remarks  that  "jrorajrd?  (a  later  form  of 
iroSairo?,  properly=whence'),  never  used  in  the  New 
Testameni  for  adirect  question,  is  not  sXriMy ^quantns, 
b\xi=quatU  (compare  Luke  1:  29;  2  Peter  3:  11),  but  is 


often  used  as  an  expression  of  wonder  at  something 
specially  glorious  (compare  Matt.  8 :  27 ;  Mark  13:1; 
Luke  7:  39),  so  that  the  meaning  of  qualis  plays  over 
into  that  of  quantus.    So  here."— A.  H.] 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  JOHN. 


35 


of  God:  therefore  the  world  knoweth  us  not,  because 
it  kuew  hiiu  not. 

2  lieloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth 
not  yel  appear  what  we  shall  be:  but  we  know  that, 
when  he  shall  appear,  we  sliall  be  like  hhn ;  for  we 
shall  see  him  as  he  is. 


of  God  :  and  such  we  are.  For  this  cause  the  world 
2  knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew  hiiu  not.  Keloved, 
now  are  we  children  of  God,  and  it  is  not  yet  made 
manifest  what  we  shall  be.  We  know  that,  if 
Mie  shall  be  manifested,  we  .shall  like  him;  lor  wu 
.3  shall  see  him  even  as  he  is.    And  every  one  that  hath 


\n  this  relation.  God  is  pre-eminently  the 
Father  of  Christ,  and  of  those  in  liim.  And 
(such)  we  are."  (Rev.  Vcr. )  This  clause,  in- 
serted by  the  best  text,  asserts  the  reality  of  the 
childship,  justifying  the  name,  and  meeting  a 
possible  cavil.  Therefore  the  world  know- 
eth us  not.  On  this  account.  Since  we  are 
children  of  God  by  a  new  nature,  raised  into 
a  new  sphere  of  life,  endowed  with  the  prin- 
ciples and  attributes  of  a  new  race,  clothed 
with  traits  and  privileges  appropriate  to  this 
higher  relation — for  this  cause  the  world  does 
not  know  us.  The  world  has  some  general 
judgment  of  the  Christian  by  his  outward 
fruits.  But  the  new  life  within,  the  new 
spiritual  nature,  which  makes  one  a  child  of 
God,  the  world  does  not  know.  It  has  never 
experienced  it.  It  is  a  spiritual  thing,  and 
must  be  spiritually  discerned.  The  world  has 
no  waj'  of  discerning  between  a  natural  amia- 
bility and  a  grace  of  the  Spirit.  Because  it 
knew  him  not — namely,  Christ,  when  he 
was  on  earth.  The  person  and  the  fact  were 
too  well  known  to  require  the  name  to  be 
given.  The  inability  of  the  world  to  discern 
the  Christian's  nature  was  manifest  in  men's 
treatment  of  Christ  himself.  (Johni:5,  lO;  i6:3:  i 
Cor.  2:8.)  The  world  could  not  see  that  in  Christ 
which  did  most  to  make  him  what  he  was, 
and  so  rejected  him.  And  if  we  have  re- 
ceived any  part  of  Christ's  nature,  we  need 
not  expect  any  better  appreciation.  A  peo- 
ple to  a  great  extent  not  understood  must  we 
be.     We  should   count  the  cost,   in  making 

friends  with  Christ.       (*:17;  Matt.  lO;  25;  John  IS:  in.) 

2.  Beloved.  Not  appreciated  by  the  world, 
yet  known  and  appreciated.  The  epithet 
means  (1)  loved  by  God  and  fellow-Christians, 
(2)  possessed  by  the  love-grace,  (3)  impliedly, 
lovable.  Now.  Temporal,  not  logical.  Em- 
phatic, in  contrast  with  the  'not  yet'  which 
follows.  Though  esteemed  as  earthen  pitch- 
ers (i.am.  i:  2)^  yet  are  believers  even  now  the 
precious  sonsof  Zion  comparable  to  fine  gold. 
Though  earthly  eyes  see  it  not,  thej'  are 
already  children  of  God,  allied  to  him  in  a 
new  nature.     And  it  doth  not  yet  appear 


{it  is  not  yet  made  tnani/est)  what  we  shall 
be.  What  we  shall  be  is  no  uncertainty,  but 
it  is  not  yet  manifested.  Our  being  already 
God's  children  is  the  guaranty  of  the  fullest 
perfection,  which  some  time  will  be  manifested 
to  all  beings.  What  God  sees  inwardly  shall 
as  plainly  be  seen  outwardlj*.  The  light 
within  must  shine  out,  as  Christ  was  trans- 
figured. What  the  divine  childship  involves 
must  be  evolved;  the  hitent  must  become 
patent.  We  know.  As  a  fact  (olSantv). 
How  much  John  saj's  about  knowing!  In 
the  presence  of  Christiaii  revelation  and 
experience,  we  do  not  conjecture:  we  know. 
The  connective  but  (fie)  is  erased  in  th^ 
critical  text,  and  the  new  sentence  begins 
with  perfect  independence.  That  when  he 
shall  appear  (or,  if  he  shall  be  manifested). 
The  subject  seems  to  be,  on  the  whole,  Christ, 
and  not  the  'what  we  shall  be'  of  the  pre- 
ceding sentence,  That  our  verb  should  have 
a  personal  subject  best  accords  with  the  men- 
tion of  '  him  '  in  the  next  clause  ;  and  that  this 
personal  subject  is  Christ  is  shown  in  2:  28. 
Compare  Col.  3:4;  Phil.  3 :  20,  '21.  The 
manifestation  of  Christ  and  itll  his  people  is 
to  be  at  his  second  coming,  in  the  end  of  the 
world.  We  shall  be  like  him  —  namelj', 
Christ,  who  is  our  pattern.  The  likeness  (see 
Rom.  8:  29)  will  be  in  the  unfolded  spiritual 
nature  and  in  the  resurrection  body — in  other 
words,  in  the  manifested  glory  of  the  risen 
and  perfect  human  nature.  Until  that  event, 
our  life  is  hid  with  Christ.  (coi.3:3.)  Even 
through  the  state  between  death  and  the 
resurrection,  though  we  shall  be  with  the 
Lord,  we  .shall  not  have  reached  the  state  of 
glorious  manifestation,  and  that  likeness  to 
Christ  which  our  passage  anticipates.  For 
or,  because  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is. 
(Gen.22:u.)  The  One  referred  to  is  plainly 
Christ;  but  the  relation  of  the  sentence  to 
the  preceding  context  is  difficult  to  decide. 
It  certainly  states  the  reason  (oTt)  for  some- 
thing. Is  it  (1)  the  reason  for  the  likeness? 
Is  the  final  vision  of  the  glorified  Jesus  in- 
strumental in  bringing  about  the  likeness  to 


36 


3  And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  him  purifieth 
himsell',  even  as  he  is  pure. 

4  Whosoever  committeth  sin  transgresseth  also  the 
law:  fur  sin  is  the  trausgressiun  of  the  law. 


I.  JOHN.  [Ch.  III. 

this  hope  set  on  him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  he  is 

4  pure.  Every  onctbatdoeth  sin  doeth  also  lawlessness: 

5  and  siu  i;,  lawlessness.    And  ye  know  that  he  was 


him.  according  to  the  principle  involved  in  2 
Cor.  o:  18?  Does  John  state  this  in  our  pre- 
sent sentence?  Or  (2)  is  it  the  statement  of 
an  evidential  reason?  In  other  words,  tlie 
reason  why  in  the  last  day  we  shall  know 
that  we  are  like  Christ,  or  why  now  we  may 
have  conlide-ice  that  the  full  likeness  shall  be  ? 
It  is  certain  that  we  are  to  see  him  just  as  he 
is;  that  is  proof  that  we  shall  have  already 
become  lik^  him,  since  a  perfect  likeness  is 
necessary  to  a  perfect  vision.  Or  (3)  is  our 
sentence  a  statement  coiilirming  the  fact  sup- 
posed in  the  words  '  if  he  should  be  mani- 
fested '  ?  In  other  words,  does  it  relate  to  the 
protasis  rather  than  the  apodasis  of  the  pre- 
ceding sentence?  And  that  he  will  be  mani- 
fested is  certain,  because  we  are  surely  to  see 
him,  even  just  as  he  is,  and  that  involves  his 
literal  manifestation.  Either  of  these  three 
expUmations  is  plausible,  and  easily  under- 
stood. Probably,  in  the  present  instance,  we 
most  serve  the  reader  by  clearly  stating  them, 
witliout  making  an  absolute  decision  for  one 
of  them.  "We  know  tliat  (1)  is  the  more 
comtnon  interpretation,  but  the  thought  is 
rather  forced  and  refined,  the  philosophy  a 
little  remote.  Besides,  it  implies  an  order  in 
the  transformation  at  and  following  the  resur- 
rection not  otherwise  to  be  thought  of.  For 
it  implies  that  the  elect  will  be  raised  up  in 
some  unnamed  moral  and  physical  form,  then 
get  a  vision  of  Christ,  and  then,  upon  that, 
be  further  transformed  into  his  full  likeness. 
It  is  also  more  probable  that  the  likeness 
should  precede  the  seeing  and  appreciating  of 
Christ,  and  be  necessary  to  it  (ps.  n:  i5),  as  (2) 
in. plies.  As  for  (3),  it  is  new,  but  is  at  least 
worth  considering. 

3.  And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope 
in  (literally,  upon  en-l)  him.  That  is,  upon 
(yhrist,  the  ground  on  which  the  hope  rests; 
the  hope,  namely,  of  resurrection  glory  and 
likeness  to  Christ.  Purifieth  himself.  Here 
in  this  world,  and  as  an  on-going  thing.  The 
confidence  of  the  glorious  end,  modeled  to  us 
in  Christ,  will  lead  those  who  feel  it  now  to 
imitate  him.  AVe  tend  to  become  like  that 
which  we  hope  for.  Even  as  he  {Uelvo^)  is 
pure.      The    demonstrative    '  he,'    that  one, 


refers  back  to  the  pronoun  'him'  (oOtw),  and 
hence  to  Christ.  The  model  of  the  purity  is 
complete. 

4-9.  Righteousness,  and  not  Sin,  is  the 
Grand  Characteristic  of  the  Regen- 
erate. 

iSin  is  incompatible  with  birth  from  God. 
John  had  just  stated  tliat  he  who  hopes  for 
Christ-likeness  at  tlie  resurrection  will  now 
seek  to  copy  him  in  holy  living.  This  leads 
him  to  present  the  true  moral  ideal  of  the 
Ciiristian,  which  he  does  in  explicit  language, 
with  the  aid  of  those  spherical  and  mutually 
exclusive  conceptions  so  common  to  this  wri- 
ter. He  implies  that  this  ideal  is  a  constant 
argument  against  sinning,  a  prevailing  motive 
to  personal  holiness. 

4.  Whosoever  committeth  sin.  In  con- 
trast with  the  one  seeking  purit3\  It  is  the 
doer  of  sin.  That  is  his  nature  and  character, 
as  the  evil  tree  bearing  evil  fruit.  He  lives  in 
the  sphere  of  sin.  Transgresseth  also  the 
law — literally,  doeth  laiolessness,  that  which 
is  a  deviation  from  law  {avonCa).  The  sinning 
may  be  of  any  sort,  small  or  great,  of  the 
heart  or  of  the  life;  it  is  not  merely  some- 
thing bad  in  itself;  it  is  also  in  every  instance 
a  transgressing  of  God's  law,  a  violation  of 
his  personal  will,  an  affront  to  God  himself. 
A  man  may  plead  that  he  is  only  a  little  sin- 
ner; that  tiiougli  he  fails  towards  God  he 
does  his  duty  by  his  fellows,  and  so  lull  his 
conscience.  But  John  will  not  let  a  man  rest 
there.  He  declares  that  the  doer  of  anj-  sin  is 
a  transgressor  of  law,  a  criminal  in  the  ej'es 
of  God.  We  are  under  the  divine  govern- 
ment, and  it  is  one  of  omnipresent  law;  and 
the  sinner,  of  whatsoever  sort  or  dimensions, 
is  a  rebel  against  it.  Bi>th  the  offense  and  the 
rightful  condemnation  are  thus  exposed.  For 
sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law.  The 
violation  of  the  will  of  God.  (ps.si:  4.)  What 
better  definition  of  sin?  Both  subject  and 
predicate  in  the  Greek  have  the  article. 
"Each  term  being  thus  an  abstract  or  uni- 
versal, the  resulting  statement  is  that  sin  and 
breach  of  the  law  are  identical  to  the  full 
extent  of  each."  (T.  S.  Green,  "New  Tes- 
tament Gram.,"  p.  36.)    [Would  it  not  then 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  JOHN. 


37 


5  And  ye  know  that  he  was  manifested  to  take  away 
our  sius;  and  iu  hliu  is  uu  sin. 


lunuifcsted  to  ^  take  away  sins;  and  In  him  is  no  sin. 
6  Whosoever  abideth  iu  biui  sinueth  not:  whosoever 


be  better  to  omit  tlie  article  before  "trans- 
gression" as  well  as  before  "sin"  in  translat- 
ing, thus:  Sin  is  transgression  of  Law? — A. 
H.]  All  sin  is  law-breaking.  The  Christian 
by  subtle  sophistry  rany  tiiink  a  sin  is  not  for 
him  as  criminal  as  it  would  be  for  another. 
Our  apostle  rebukes  and  corrects  this  by  de- 
claring all  sin  to  be  against  the  will  and 
nature  of  God.  Another  might  imbibe  the 
antinomian  idea  that,  having  been  saved  by 
Christ,  he  is  out  of  the  pale  of  law,  and  can- 
not be  controlled  or  judged  by  it.  John  dis- 
sipates this  fancy.  He  says  that  any  defect  or 
deflection  from  the  right  is  transgression  of 
law  in  the  saved  man  as  well  as  in  others. 
The  law  searches  and  tries  every  man.  It  is 
tlie  measure  of  character.  And  this  tr;ins- 
gression  of  law  is  the  transgression  of  the 
whole  law  considered  as  a  unity  (James2:io),  as 
it  is  the  violation  of  the  one  will  of  God,  and 
touches  the  one  God.  Christ  was  God's  law 
embodied.  In  him  we  can  see  that  the  law  is 
holy,  just,  and  good;  is  spiritual,  reaching 
the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  the  heart;  ap- 
plies not  merely  to  outward  matters,  but  to 
all  the  inward  moral  life.  Hence,  every  fail- 
ure to  reach  the  pure  spirit  of  Christ  may  be 
known  as  the  transgression  of  law. 

5.  And  ye  know  (the  fact,  hence  olSare) 
that  he  {that  one,  Christ)  was  manifested 
(i«  the  flesh)  to  take  away  our  sins.  The 
'our'  of  the  Common  Version  is  not  in  the  now 
accepted  text.  The  very  statement  that  Christ 
was  'manifested'  implies  his  pre-existence. 
(johu8:58.)  But  why  did  he  come  in  the  flesh? 
It  was  '  to  take  away  our '  ( '  our '  is  not  in  the 
Greek)  'sins' — to  lift  up  and  hear  away  (apjj) 

the   sins    of   men    (Matt,  l:  21 :  Jdhn  l:  29;  Heb.  9:  28;  1 

Peter 2:  24)  by  his  sacrificc  as  the  Lamb  of  God. 
[See  a  careful  article  in  the  Bibliotheca 
Sacra,  Vol.  3'2,  p.  475  seq.,  on  "The  New  Tes- 
tament View  of  Christ  as  Bearing  Sin,"  by 
Rev.  W.  H.  Cobb.— A.  H.]  All  'sins'  (plural) 
need  atonement,  and  this  confirms  what  had 
been  just  said  of  their  criminality ;  and  that 
there  is  atonement  inspires  hope  in  the  midst 
of  the  dark  array  of  sins  which  the  apostle 
has  made.  .  The  deep  conviction  properly 
awakened  by  ver.  4  is  followed  by  the  great 


salvati()n  of  ver.  5.  Sin,  sin,  then,  was  the 
dreadful  occasion  of  Christ's  coming  in  the 
flesh.  Our  sins  called  him  here.  These  tried 
and  oppressed  his  soul.  These  nailed  him  to 
the  cross.  These  led  him  to  provide  for  par- 
don and  moral  purification  by  the  suflerinj* 
of  death.  It  would  seem  from  the  general 
context  that  John's  phrase,  'to  take  away 
sins'  has  a  double  meaning — namely,  pardon 
and  purifying.  Christ's  death  forsinners  pro- 
vided both.  Thereby  the  penalty  of  sin  was 
borne,  and  we,  repenting,  are  freed  from 
guilt;  thereby  the  Holy  Spirit  is  procured, 
and  we,  ajjpropriating  that  agent,  are  puri- 
fied. And  the  whole  work  is  one.  For  we 
are  pardoned,  not  that  we  may  go  on  sinning, 
but  that  we  may  more  surely  have  a  holy 
character.  The  manifested  Christ  is  the 
source,  not  only  of  pardon,  but  of  moral 
purification ;  and  the  latter  because  of  the 
former.  It  is  all  embraced  in  the  idea  of  tak- 
ing awaysins.  (iPet«r2:24.)  Sanctification  fol- 
lows justification  as  fruit  follows  blossom. 
Moral  fruit  comes  out  of  the  legal  transaction. 
A  religion  that  does  not  purity  does  not  par- 
don. Christ's  advent  looked  to  the  nature  of 
sin  as  well  as  the  guilt  of  sin.  The  object  of 
Christ's  manifestation  in  the  flesh  being  thus 
comprehensive,  Joiin  wishes  to  know  if  it  is 
being  accomplished  in  his  brethren.  If  they 
are  not  aiming  at  the  same  thing  that  Christ 
came  for,  how  are  they  in  sympathy  with 
him?  How  can  they  claim  salvation  while 
indifl^erent  about  its  moral  eff'ects?  If  Christ 
thought  enough  of  sins  to  come  from  heaven 
and  die  on  account  of  them,  shall  we  think 
lightly  of  them?  can  we  lightly  live  in  them? 
The  passage  terribly  arouses  the  slumbering 
conscience  of  the  careless  religious  professor. 
And  in  him  is  no  sin.  The  complete  moral 
purit}'  of  Ciirist  is  here  recalled  for  several 
reasons:  1.  To  show  that  he  was  prepared  in 
character  to  be  a  sin-bearer  for  others;  2.  To 
suggest  that  he  would  specially  desire  the 
purity  of  his  people ;  3.  To  give  them  a  strong 
motive  to  this  in  his  own  example  and  posi- 
tion with  regard  to  sin ;  4.  To  prepare  the 
way  for  the  doctrine  of  the  next  verse. 
6.  Christ  came  to  get  sin  out  of  the  way; 


38 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  hi. 


6  Whosoever  abideth  in   him  sinneth   not :  -whoso- 
ever siuneth  hath  not  seen  him,  neither  known  him. 

7  I>ittle  chiklren,  let  uo  man  deceive  you:    he  that 
dbeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  even  as  he  is  righteous. 

8  He  that  committeth  sin   is  of  the  devil;   for  the 


sinneth  hath  not  seen  him,  neither  iknoweth  him. 

7  3/(/ liltle  children,  let  no  man  lead  you  astray:  he 
that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  even  as  he  is 

8  righteous :  he  that  doeth  sin  is  of  the  devil ;  lor  the 


1  Or,  liath  known. 


not  only  so,  he  stood  apart  from  sin  in  his 
own  character.  And  this  last  assertion  pre- 
pares for  the  words  that  follow.  Whosoever 
abideth  in  him  sinneth  not.  The  abiding 
ill  Christ  is  the  state  of  vital  union  with  him. 
If  in  him  there  is  no  sin,  then  those  abso- 
lutely united  to  him  and  identified  with  him 
must  partake  of  his  sinless  character,  and  be 
like  him  in  that  respect.  What!  do  they  not 
sin  at  all?  Is  the  Christian  a  sinless  being? 
If  John's  reasoning  means  the  sinlessness  of 
any  Christians,  it  means  the  sinlessness  of  all 
who  in  their  conversion  have  entered  into 
union  with  Christ,  and  their  sinlessness  dur- 
ing all  tlie  period  of  salvation.  But  this  con- 
tradicts 1 :  8  and  that  progressive  work  of 
])urification  which  the  Christian  in  3:  3  is  said 
to  carry  on.  It  contradicts  our  conscious  life. 
Now,  what  is  the  interpretatiim  of  John's 
language?  We  answer  by  saying  that  in  this 
and  similar  cases  he  states  an  ideal  or  princi- 
ple. He  presents  what  the  divine  union  in- 
volves in  its  fullness,  that  which  will  be  when 
our  union  with  Christ  shall  be  developed  in 
experience  and  actual  life  to  its  normal  and 
perfected  state.  Abiding  in  Christ  in  its  ful- 
filled degree  will  involve  a  partaking  in  full 
of  the  holiness  of  Christ.  This  ideal  had  not 
yet  been  full3'  reached  by  John  and  his  breth- 
ren, though  the  union  had  richly  commenced 
and  was  going  on.  But  he  looks  forward  to 
tlieir  perfected  union  with  the  Lord,  and 
predicates  of  it  complete  purit}' ;  nay,  he  even 
s))eaks  of  it  as  if  it  were  present,  since  the 
beginning  in  all  grace  involves  the  ending, 
the  germ  the  full  unfolding;  as  the  New  Tes- 
tament calls  every  Christian  a  saint,  not  be- 
cause he  has  reached  that  ideal,  but  with 
reference  to  the  perfection  which  is  yet  to  be. 
John  gives  us  the  law,  or  principle,  of  union 
with  Clirist.  Purity  characterizes  this  union; 
and  so  far  as  the  union  is  realized  and  ful- 
filled, so  far  there  will  be  purity,  until  the 
ideal  becomes  fully  real,  and  then,  by  the 
very  law  of  the  union,  there  will  be  utter  sin- 
lessness. The  union  is  a  holy  principle,  and 
the  more  it  is  developed  the  more  it  bears 
personal    holiness   with   it.      The    Christian, 


therefore,  by  the  very  law  of  his  union  with 
Christ,  is  one  who  is  reaching  on  to  moral 
purity;  and  if  not  approaching  the  ideal,  he 
may  doubt  his  spiritual  state.  Purity  is  the 
law,  the  tendency,  of  divine  union.  Whoso- 
ever sinneth  hath  not  seen  him  (Christ), 
neither  known  him.  Has  not  had  either  a 
vision  of  him,  or  an  experience  of  him  ;  is  now 
in  a  state  of  spiritual  blindness  and  ignorance. 
"The  Greek  perfect  denotes  an  abiding  pres- 
ent effect  resting  on  an  event  in  the  past.  In 
the  Greek  perfect  the  present  predominates." 
(Alford.)  John  state«  antithetically  a  truth 
implied  in  the  former  part  of  the  verse — a  truth 
tiiat  c<mies  out  from  the  mutual  exclusiveness 
of  the  sin  character  and  the  Christ  character. 
John  states  here  the  law,  or  tendency,  of  the 
sin  character.  He  who  sins  as  his  law,  the 
on-going,  developing  law  of  his  life,  knows 
nothing  of  the  saving  vision  or  purif\'ing 
knowledge  of  Christ.  Sin  is  blinding.  Sin 
is  the  foe  of  divine  fellowship.  If  this  be  the 
total  effect  in  the  unregenerate,  is  it  not  to  the 
Christian  dust  in  his  spiritual  sight  and  a 
palsy  in  his  spiritual  love? 

7.  Little  children.  An  appeal  of  affection 
and  a  reminder  of  the  spiritual  standing  ot 
those  addressed.  Let  no  man  deceive  you. 
Lead  you  astray,  or  cause  you  to  wander. 
If  little  children,  they  need  caution  against 
the  wiles  of  false  teachers,  as  sheep  need 
guarding  against  devouring  bdasts.  False 
teachers,  antichrists,  had  already  appeared, 
and  it  would  seem  that  some  of  them  were 
teaching  that  one  might  be  a  Christian,  and 
so  belong  to  the  class  of  the  righteous,  yet  go 
on  sinning  as  before,  without  condemnation. 
"Be  not  deceived,"  says  the  apostle,  "with 
such  teaching.  Know  that  if  one  is  a  Chris- 
tian he  is  of  the  class  of  the  righteous,  and  his 
doing,  the  fruit  of  his  life,  will  agree  with  this 
fact.  He  will  reflect  Christ,  who,  righteous 
himself,  was  for  that  reason  a  doer  of  right- 
eousness. The  being  proves  itself  in  the 
doing.  The  good  tree  brings  forth  good 
fruit." 

8.  He  that  committeth  (or  doeth)  sin. 
Defined   as  in  the  note  on  ver.  4.     The  sin 


Ch.  Ill] 


I.  JOHN. 


39 


devil  siunefh  from  the  beginning.  For  this  purpose 
the  Son  of  G«hI  was  luauifested,  tliat  he  might  destroy 
the  woiks  of  the  devil. 

9  Whosoever  is  born  of  (iod  doth  not  commit  sin; 
for  his  seed  remaineth  iu  *'im;  and  he  cannot  sin,  be- 
cause he  is  born  of  Uod. 


devil  ginneth  from  the  iieginning.  To  this  end 
was  the  Son  of  (iod  nianifeste<I,  tliat  he  might  ile- 

9  stroy  the  worlds  of  tlie  devil.  Whosoevifr  i.s  begot- 
ten of  God  doeth  no  sin,  because  his  st  eil  abidetli 
in  him:  and  he  cannot  sin,  because  he  is  begotten 

lU  of  l.od.     In  this  the  children  of  God  are  manifest, 


doer  is  here  contrasted  with  the  righteous 
.doer  of  the  preceding  verse,  as  to  his  ideal 
lilceness  and  relationship.  Is  of  the  devil. 
Who,  with  this  verse  and  ver.  10  in  mind,  can 
doubt  the  personality  of  tiie  devil?  And 
why  doubt  it  any  more  than  that  of  ail  angel? 
What  is  gained,  in  any  interest  of  reason  or 
religion,  by  doubting  it?  The  devil  is  the 
ideal,  the  fully  developed,  sinner.  The  sin- 
ning man  finds  the  goal  to  which  he  is  tend- 
ing, the  type  to  which  he  is  ai)proxiniating, 
the  same  moral  nature  of  which  he  has  par- 
taken, in  the  devil.  There  is  his  kinship.  To 
be  of  the  devil  is  to  have  his  moral  likeness, 
and  the  same  law  of  sin.  In  this  sense  the 
sinner  on  earth  is  a  child,  and  the  devil  a 
father.  (Joim8:«;  Actsis:  lo.)  From  tlic  begin- 
ning. Of  human  history,  when  there  was  man 
to  slay  morally.  (Joha8:u.)  For  this  purpose 
(or  to  this  end).  The  purpose  is  stated  in  the 
last  part  of  the  sentence.  The  Son  of  God 
was  manifested.  In  his  total  earthly  career, 
including  his  deat  I.  (Heb.2:u.)  'The  Son  of 
God,'  begotten  through  the  Holy  Spirit. 
(Lukei::i5.)  A  historical,  not  a  metaphysical 
name.  That  he  might  destroy  the  works 
of  the  devil.  "Those  works  which  he  in- 
cites men  to  perform"  (Hackett) — namely, 
sins.  These  Christ  destroys  (A.i;<rrj),  dissolves 
by  his  death  (Heb. »■. 26)  and  his  Spirit  (Rom. 8:i3), 
■and  by  weakening  Satan  himself.  (Gen.3:i5.) 
Christ  is  the  opposite  of  the  devil  in  character 
and  works.  Whom  will  the  believer  take 
sides  with?  Will  he  make  that  his  law  which 
Christ  came  to  destroy? 

9.  Whosoever  (that  is,  every  one)  is  born 
of  leie)  God.  And  (perfect  participle)  now 
possesses  the  new-birth  nature.  [It  might 
be  translated,  "  Every  one  who  has  been  born 
of  God.' — A.  H.]  Doth  not  commit  (or(/o) 
sin.  Does  not  do  it  (present  and  continuous 
tense)  as  the  law  of  his  life,  as  the  ideal  ten- 
dency of  his  being;  does  not  belong  to  the 
sin  sphere.  He  belongs  rather  to  the  sphere 
of  light,  having  God's  nature  through  the 
new  birth.  The  states  of  being  begotten  of 
God,  and  of  sin,  are  viewed  as  mutually  ex- 
clusive. This  is  the  normal,  ideal  fact.  "And 
15 


John  sets  up  the  ideal  as  the  true  relrtity." 
(Godet. )  See  explanation  of  ver.  0.  For 
(or  because)   his    (God's)   seed  ubideth  in 

him — that  is,  in  tiie  one  born  of  (iod.  The 
seed  (sperm)  is  the  word  of  God  quickened  in 
the  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  so  made  the 
principle  of  regeneration,  (i  P"er  i:  23;  james  i: 
IS;  johu5:38.)  It  is  holy  as  God  is  holy;  and 
as  seed  it  germinates  and  expands,  lilling  the 
being,  making  real  the  holy  ideal.  [It  is  by 
no  means  certain  that  the  expression  'his 
seed'  (o-TTcp/ua  avTov)  means  "the  word  of  God.'' 
Many  interpreters  think  it  means  the  S|>irit 
of  God;  others  think  it  is  the  new  disposition 
generated  by  the  Spirit.  This  new  disposi- 
tion, implanted  by  the  gracious  influencre  of 
the  Spirit,  is  however  called  into  action  by 
the  light  of  divine  truth,  and  appears  to  the 
eye  of  consciousness  as  faith,  love,  hope,  etc. 
"The  good  seed  are  the  children  of  the  king- 
dom ;  but  the  tares  are  the  children  of  the 
wicked  one."  (Matt.  i3: 38.)  The  figure  is  not 
precisely  the  same  in  this  parable  as  in  the 
verse  before  us;  but  it  favors  the  view  that 
the  word  'seed'  has  reference  to  the  vital 
principle,  or  holy  disposition  imparted  to  the 
soul,  rather  than  to  Ciiristian  truth — a  more 
objective  reality.  How  can  truth  be  vitalized, 
inade  to  germinate? — A.  H.]  And  he  can- 
not sin.  To  sin,  in  the  sense  explained  at 
the  opening  of  the  verse.  Because  he  is 
(literally,  has  been)  born  of  God.  And  it  is 
as  impossible  {iv  Sui/arai)  for  him  to  sin,  in  the 
sense  explained,  as  it  is  for  the  nature  of  God 
to  sin.  And  as  the  nature  of  God  in  us  abides 
and  grows,  as  the  child  becomes  the  man,  the 
old  sin  nature  is  sloughed  off,  and  absolute 
holiness  is  reached.  The  divine  germ  and 
potonc.v  are  the  law,  and  what  is  law  must  be 
fulfilled. 
10  18.  That  Rtohteousxess  which  Dis- 

TrXGUISHES    THE    ClIILDRKN    OF    GoD    EROM 

THE  Children  of  the  Devil  Includes,  in 
Particular,  Love  of  the  Brethren, 
WHICH  Love  must  be  Practical  as  well 
AS  Professional 

We  are  impressed  with  the  explicit,  direct, 
and  positive  nature  of  the  apostle's  statements 


40 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  III. 


10  In  this  the  children  of  God  are  manifest,  and  the 
children  of  the  devil:  whosoever  doeth  not  righteous- 
ness is  not  of  God,  neither  he  that  lovelli  not  his 
brother. 

11  For  this  is  the  message  that  ye  heard  from  the 
beginning,  that  we  should  love  one  ;inotljer. 

12  Not  as  Cain,  who  was  of  that  wicked  one,  and  slew 
his  brother.  And  wherefore  slew  he  him  ?  Because 
Lis  own  works  were  evil,  and  his  brother's  lighteous. 


and  the  children  of  the  devil:  whosoever  doeth  not 
righteousness  is  not  of  God,  neither  he  that  loveth 

11  not  his  brother.  For  this  is  the  message  which 
ye    heard    from    the    beginning,   that   we    should 

Vi  love  one  another:  not  as  Caiu  was  of  the  evil 
one,  and  slew  liis  brother.  And  whert:fore  slew 
he  him?  Because  his  works  were  evil,  and  his 
brother's  righteous. 


under  this  section.  There  is  no  such  thing 
here  as  a  halting  or  timid  utterance;  no  dis- 
position to  cover  the  edge  of  truth,  in  order  to 
spare  the  feelings  of  any  who  cannot  stand 
the  gospel  tests.  Our  heading  of  the  present 
section  has  sufficiently  indicated  its  outgrowth 
from  the  preceding  section. 

10.  In  this.    In  this  evidencing  fact.    The 
children   of  God   are  manifest,  and  the 
children  of  the  devil.      'Are  manifest'    to 
all  who  will  look  into  the  matter,  and  reflect 
upon  it.     One  might  say  to  John,  "  You  have 
divided  the  world  into  these  two  classes,  the 
one  bearing  in  their  soul  the  image  of  God, 
the  other  the  image  of  the  devil.     They  are 
mixed  up  together;  how  shall  they  be  distin- 
guished ?    By  what  test  are  they  '  manifest'  ?" 
By  this  criterion,  says  John,  which  follows: 
Whosoever    doeth   not   righteousness   is 
not  of  God,  neither  he  that  loveth  not 
his  brother.     A  very  plain,  short  rule.     Do- 
ing righteousness  is  doing  that  which  likens 
us  to  Christ.     See  2:  29  and  note.     The  child 
of  God  will  do  this  righteousness  naturally. 
To   further   define    this    righteousness    John 
mentions  brotherly  love  as  a  part  of  it  and 
co-ordinates  it  with  it.     An  important  part  of 
practical  righteousness  is  this  love,  which  is  so 
essential   that  he   who   lacks   it  cannot  be  a 
Christian.  (John  is:  35.)     It  is  that  which  shows 
what  the  hidden  child-nature   is.     It  is  pre- 
eminently  the   revealing  grace.     Our  verse, 
then,  tends  to  unfold  what  practical  righteous- 
ness is,  and  fairly  introduces  us  to  the  subject 
of  brotherly  love,  as  marking  the  new  nature. 
11.  For   introduces   proof  of  the    position 
that  the  righteousness  of  brotherly. love  must 
distinguish  God's  children.     It  was  one  of  the 
first  things  taught  by  the  gospel,  that  Christ's 
people  should  love  one  another,  that  the  fam- 
ilj"- of  God  should  have  the  family  grace.     It 
is  therefore  that  manifestation  which  we  ex- 
pect to  find   distinguishing  the   children   of 
God  from  the  children  of  the  devil.     For  ex- 
planation of  beginning,  see  on  2:  7,  and  of 
love  one  another,  see  on  2:  8.     This  love  is 


not  love  to  all  men,  but  is  that  which  springs 
out  of  our  relationship  as  children  of  one 
Father,  and  such  as  Christ  had  for  his  own 
(joiini3: 34) ;  it  is  involved  in  the  kinship  of 
nature.  Tliat  (iva).  "Purpose  and  purport." 
(Alford.)     "Declarative."   (Haekett.) 

12.    Not    as    Cain,    who    was    of    that 
wicked  one,  and  slew  his  brother.    The 
words,  and  so  be,  supplied  at  the  beginning  of 
the  sentence,  would  complete  the  sense,  and 
connect   it  with    the   last  words  of  ver.    11: 
"should  love  one  another  and  so  be  not  like 
wicked    Cain."     But   the  brief  form    in   the 
text  is  in  the  interest  of  vividness  and  force. 
Compare  John  6:  58,  for  construction.     The 
example  of   Cain    strikingly    illustrates    the 
love-precept  by  way  of  contrast.     He  wick- 
edly violated  the  brotherly  relation.     Instead 
of  loving  his  brother,  he  hated  and  slew  him, 
acting  out  the  nature  of  Satan,  who  was  a 
murderer    from    the    beginning.      His    deed 
showed    what    his   nature   was,    with    whom 
allied.     Instead  of  making  a  sacrifice  of  love 
for  his  own  brother,  Cain  took  that  brother 
and  sacrificed  him  to  his  god,  the  devil.     If 
Christians  will  not  love  another,  the^'  violate 
their  assumed  brotherly  relation,  and  repeat 
the   spirit   of  Cain   and   the   devil.     Wiiat  a 
tell-tale  mirror  for  an  unloving  Christian  to 
look  into.     [Tlie  Revised  Version  translates: 
not  as    Cain  was   of  the  evil  one,  etc.     The 
sense  would  then  be,  "that  we  should  love 
one  another,  not  being  (of  the  evil  one)  as 
Cain  was  of  the  evil  one,  etc. — A.  H.]     And 
wherefore  ixapiv  nVos).     On  account  of  what. 
Because  his  own  works  were  evil.   (Omit 
the  word   'own,'  for  which  there  is  nothing 
in  the  original.)    Morally  evil,  hence  wicked; 
bearing  the  nature  of  the  wicked  one.     What 
is  meant  by  the   'works'    (hyo^)   of  the   two 
brothers?     The  term  is  plural  as  related  to 
each  of  them,  and  therefore  suggests  some- 
thing more  than  the  one  work  of  each  just 
preceding  the  murder.    The  customary  deeds, 
the  manner  of  life,  the  opposite  moral  charac- 
ters, of  the  two  men,  are  meant.     The  act  of 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  JOHN. 


41 


13  Marvel  not,  my  brethren,  if  the  world  liate  you. 

14  We  know  that  we  have  passed  fioni  death  unto 
life,  because  we  luve  the  brelhreu.  lie  that  loveth  uot 
his  brotlier  abidetli  in  death. 

l-T  Wliosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer:  and 
ye  know  that  uo  murderer  hath  eternal  life  abiding  in 
bim. 


13  Marvel  not,  brethren,   if  the   world   hateth  you. 

14  We   know   that   we   have  i)as>ed  out  of  ilealh   inio 
life,  beeau.se  we  love  ihe  brellireii.     lie  tliat  loveth 

15  not  abiiletli  in  death.    Whosoever  liatetli  his  brother 
is  a  murderer:  and  ye  know  tliat  uo  murdenr  hath 

16  eternal    life    abiding    in   him.      Hereby    know    we 


murder  on  Cain's  part  was  no  ticcident  of  his 
iiiurul  life.  It  had  a  reason  in  the  natural 
I'haracter,  the  habitual  deeds,  of  the  heart. 
It  was  tlie  fruit  of  an  evil  tree.  Moreover,  it 
was  the  outconie  of  a  heart  in  contrariety  to 
a  righteous  heart  such  as  Abel's  was.  The 
evil  nature  is  in  antipathy  to  the  righteous 
nature.  It  does  not  love  it,  is  averse  to  it, 
envies  it,  hates  it,  even  as  Satan's  nature 
antagonizes  God's  nature.  The  carnal  mind 
is  enmity  against  God  and  whoever  is  like 
God.  This  is  Joiin's  deep  philosophy  of  the 
murder. 

13.  Marvel  not.  A  negative  command  in 
the  present  looks  to  the  discontinuance  of  an 
act.  Iji  John's  conception,  his  readers  had 
begun  to  wonder.  My  brethren.  Omit  the 
'my'  of  the  Common  Version.  The  love-rela- 
tion of  those  addressed  is  recognized,  and 
tiieir  distinction  from  those  who  hate.  If 
the  world  hate  (hateth,  Kevised  Version) 
you.  'If  with  the  indicative  shows  that  the 
hypothesis  is  a  reality.  The  world  does  hate 
you.  Do  not  marvel.  For  you  see,  as  in  the 
case  of  Cain  and  Abel,  that  the  world-nature 
and  the  Christian  nature  are  contrary'.  This 
explains  it.  "Because  ye  are  not  of  the 
•world,  .  .  .  therefore  the  world  hateth  you." 
(.John  15:  19.)  The  Very  principle  of  the  new 
nature  which  binds  Christians  to  each  other 
is  an  occasion  of  repulsion  to  the  world.  In 
referring  his  readers  to  the  hatred  they  have 
from  the  world,  he  affords  them,  1.  A  further 
example  of  the  principle  of  opposition  be- 
tween the  seed  of  God  and  the  seed  of  the 
devil ;  2.  A  motive  for  them  to  love  each 
other  the  more.  Hatred,  want  of  sympathy, 
from  the  world,  should  draw  them  to  each 
other  the  more  closely,  as  the  cold  blast  of 
winter  makes  the  children  of  the  family  press 
to  each  other's  warmth. 

14.  We.  Emphatic,  as  set  over  against  the 
•world.  Know.  As  a  fact  (olSancv).  That 
we  have  passed.  And  are  still  in  the  state 
thus  reached.  From  death  unto  (that  is, 
out  of  death  into)  life.  This  life  is  the  new 
life,  the  life  of  the  Spirit,  the  eternal  life,  the 


divine  life.  The  death  is  the  state  opposite ; 
not  of  non-existence,  for  they  existed  while 
unregenerate;  but  of  separation  from  the 
true  life;  in  the  darkness  outside  of  God  s 
nature  of  light.  What  a  change,  then,  is  that 
from  death  to  life!  Because  we  love  the 
brethren.  Members  of  the  spiritual  family. 
The  love  is  the  new  life  in  action,  and  the 
sure  proof  that  the  life  is  present,  (ver.  lo,  ii.) 
After  the  severe  testing  of  the  preceding 
verses,  the  assurance  of  these  words  would  be 
most  comforting.  And  how  many  self-dis- 
trusting souls  of  trembling  faith  in  all  the 
gospel  times  have  by  them  been  helped  to  the 
assuring  evidence  of  their  regeneration.  They 
find  in  their  hearts  that  they  feel  a  drawing 
to  Christians,  which  they  do  not  feel  towards 
the  society  of  the  world,  a  delightful  love  for 
them,  though  poor,  or  marred,  or  imperfect, 
a  peculiar  pleasure  in  being  where  they  con- 
gregate, relishing  their  exercises  and  enjoy- 
ing their  fellowship,  and  this  tells  them,  and 
manifests  to  all  (John i3: 35),  that  in  them  is 
that  new  nature  which  allies  them  with  God 
tind  all  his  people.  He  that  loveth  not 
his  brother  abideth  in  death.  'His  bro- 
ther' does  not  belong  to  the  approved  text. 
The  absence  of  spiritual  love  from  the  char- 
acter, which  of  course  includes  love  of  the 
brethren,  is  the  sure  sign  of  still  abiding  in 
death,  where  all  men  are  by  nature.  The 
unloving  heart  has  never  pa.'^sed  over  from 
the  death  state.  If  a  child  of  God  is  no  more 
to  us  than  an^'body  else;  if  the  society  of  the 
Church  is  no  more  to  us  than  thesociety  of  the 
world;  if  Gods  love  does  not  work  con- 
sciously in  us  and  have  its  willing  response — 
we  are  simply  not  converted. 

15.  'Whosoever  hateth  his  brother. 
Hatred  soon  comes  of  not  loving  ;  it  is  of  the 
same  root  and  kind,  only  in  a  more  positive 
form.  The  negative  state  is  by  no  means  a 
neutral  state.  The  heart  that  does  not  love 
has  the  seeds  of  positive  hatred,  which  will 
start  up  when  occasion  comes.  This  hatred, 
however  hidden,  is  essential  murder,  man- 
killing  (avepunoKTovo^).     It  is  that  germ  whence 


42 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  III. 


16  Hereby  perceive  we  the  love  of  God.  because  he 
laid  down  liis  life  for  us:  aud  we  ought  to  lay  down  our 
lives  lor  the  brethren. 

17  But  whoso  hath  this  world's  good,  and  seeth  his 
brother  have  need,  and  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  com- 
passion from  him,  how  dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in 
nim? 

18  My  litt-le  children,  let  us  not  love  in  word  neither 
in  tongue;  but  in  deed  and  in  truth. 


love,  because  he  laid  down  his  life  for  us:  and  we 

17  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  fur  the  brethren,  but 
whoso  hath  the  world's  goods,  aud  beholdeth  his 
brother  in  need,  aud  shutteth  up  his  compassion 
from  him,  how  dotli  the  love  of  God  abide  in  him? 

18  Ml/  little  children,  let  us  not  love  in  word,  neither 

19  with  the  tongue ;  but  iu  deed  aud  truth.    Hereby 


all  murder  comes.  He  who  looks  on  the 
heart  sees  there  embryonic  and  responsible 
murder.  Tlie  private  malice,  the  secret  grudge, 
the  throbbing  vengeance,  the  envy  cherished 
in  the  heart,  is  murderous  in  its  tendency'.  It 
is  that  from  wliich  Cain's  murder  sprang. 
The  principal  part  of  sin  is  in  the  heart. 
(Mat.  15:  19.)  The  present  participle  "hating" 
(translated  'hateth')  probably  suggests  a  hate 
which  is  a  principle,  sometliing  kept  up  and 
cherished.  A  good  Christian  may  fall  into 
the  temptation  temporarily,  and  still  have  the 
principle  of  eternal  life  abiding  in  him.  But 
he  will  not  cherisli  the  evil  feeling.  He  will 
cast  it  away,  as  a  man  will  kick  off  the  snare 
that  has  begun  to  entangle  his  feet.  He  will 
cry,  '  O  Lord,  pardon  my  murder.'  And 
God  will  jjardon  and  save. 

16.  Hereby  (or,  hi  i/«£s)— namely,  that 
Christ  laid  down  his  life  for  us.  Perceive 
(or,  know)  we  the  love.  (The  sense  is  best 
given  by  omitting  the  article  before  love,  as 
in  the  Kevised  Version.)  '  Know  '  it  sympa- 
thetically, spiritually,  as  something  that  has 
touched  us,  and  affected  us.  Know  what  it  is 
(4:  10),  how  great  it  is,  how  much  it  will  move 
us  to  sacrifice  for  its  dear  object.  Because  he 
(eitcii'os,  that  one,  ever  present  to  the  thought 
of  the  apostle)  laid  down  his  life.  For  the 
usage,  in  case  of  this  peculiar  expression,  see 
John  10:  11,  15.  17,  18.  It  means  a  voluntary' 
self-sacrifice.  It  expresses  not  only  the  extent 
of  the  sacrifice,  but  the  absolute  voluntari- 
ness of  it.  Laying  down  one's  life  is  the  same 
as  giving  one's  self.  (Gai.  2:  20;  Eph.s:  2.)  And 
in  Christ's  case  it  is  the  action  of  the  very 
highest  love.  (Kph.  5:  2,26.)  For  us.  In  our 
behalf;  for  our  good.  And  for  us  while  we 
were  yet  sinners.  (Rom.  5:8.)  And  Ave  (em- 
phatic, we  the  followers  of  Christ)  oua:ht. 
Are  under  obligation  to  him  who  has  planted 
divine  love  in  us,  and  has  appointed  the  rela- 
tion between  love  and  sacrifice  for  its  otyect, 
and  has  exemplified  it  to  us  in  him  whom  we 
follow.  To  lay  down  our  lives  for  the 
brethren.     If  needful ;    if  their  true  good 


shall  require  it.  This  is  love  in  practical 
action.  It  is  love's  proof.  (Jobni6:i3.)  "VVe 
must  love  each  other,  therefore,  not  onlj'  at 
convenience,  but  at  cost,  even  to  the  giving 
of  our-selves.     Love  is  the  giving  of  self. 

17.  But.  Contrast  the  above  law  of  love 
with  a  certain  example.  Whoso  hath  (a 
supposed  case;  this  (literally,  the)  world's 
good  (or,  goods),  and  seeth  (or,  beholdeth) 
his  brother  have  need,  and  shutteth  up 
his  boAvels  of  compassion  from  him  (not 
giving  his  pity,  or  his  goods,  much  less  his 
life,  as  required  in  ver.  10),  how  dwelleth 
the  love  of  God  in  him  ?  How  is  the 
true  abiding  element  or  principle  of  love  in 
him?  "It  is  put  as  a  wondering  question 
which  challenges  in  vain  a  satisfactory  an- 
swer.". (HacUett. )  It  is  an  argument,  a 
question,  from  the  greater  to  the  less.  If, 
not  laj'ing  down  his  life  for  the  good  of  his 
brother,  he  cannot  even  pity  him  or  give  him 
alms,  how  much  Chrisily  love  can  there  be 
in  him  ? 

18.  My  little  children.  Omit  '  my.'  See 
explanation  at  2:  1,  V2,  13,  18.28.  Let  us 
not  love  in  word,  neither  in  tongue.  Bet- 
ter, loith  the  tongue.  The  last  term  has  the 
article  in  the  best  text.  Word  and  the  tongue 
are  mere  instruments  of  profession.  Do  not 
love  by  these  only  ;  bj'  profession  only.  The 
love  of  the  professed  brother  described  in  the 
preceding  verse  was  only  profession  and  talk. 
Let  not  3'ours  be  so.  But  (on  the  contrary, 
let  it  be)  in  deed  and  in  truth.  (1  Peter  i: 
22,23.)  In  the  element  of  these.  In  actual 
doing,  and  in  the  way  of  God's  truth  in  the 
case.  How  fittinglj-,  how  forcibly,  this  ex- 
hortation closes  the  searching  discussion  of 
the  section  !  How  much  in  the  manner  and 
spirit  of  the  aged  John,  as  we  think  of  him  ! 
The  love-exhortation  was  his  most  ready 
word,  and  his  ministry  uttered  it  most  affec- 
tionatelj'  to  the  very  end.  Godet,  "  Com.  on 
John,"  Vol.  I.,  p.  61.  Nor  has  the  sound  of 
that  appeal  yet  died  awaj',  or  its  influence  on 
renewed  hearts. 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  JOHN. 


43 


19  And  hereby  we  know  that  wc  are  of  the  truth,  and 
shall  assure  our  hearts  before  him. 

20  For  if  our  heart  condemn  \is,  God  is  greater  than 
our  heart,  and  kuoweth  all  things. 


shall  we  know  that  we  are  of  the  truth,  and  shall 

20  1  assure  our  heart  -belore  hiiu:  because  if  our  heart 
coudeiuu   us,  (loil   is  greater   than   our   heart,  and 

21  kuuweth   all    things.    Beloved,  if   our   heurl  cou- 


1  Gr.  persuade 2  Or,  hefore  him,  vihereintoever  our  heart  condemn  us ;  beeauee  God,  <tc. 

19-24.  The  Exercise  of  Brotherly  Love  I  satisfy  the  questionings  of  conscience,  to  bring 


IS  Attended  by  an  Assurance  of  our 
Christian  State,  by  a  Peacefulness  of 
Conscience,  by  Effectual  Prayer,  and 
BY  Abiding  Fellowship  and  Union  with 
HIM  WHO  Gave  the  Commandments,  and 
WHO  Gives  us  the  Spirit. 

19.  And  hereby  (literally,  in  this).     Con- 
"nectioii  with  the  preceding  verse  is  close.  The 
loving  of  our  brethren  in  deed  and  truth,  so 
loving  them  as  to  endure  self-denial  for  their 
sakes,  is  referred  to  as  that,  in  the  presence  or 
exercise  of  whicii,  not  on  the  ground  of  which, 
we  realize  other  great  spiritual  blessings.   We 
know.     The  verb   is   future  to   the   fultilled 
condition,  atid  also  expresses  certainty.  Trans- 
late, we  shall  know  (experimentally)  that  we 
are  of  the   truth,  of  one   nature  with    the 
truth,  as  if  born  of  it.     To  be  of  the  truth  is 
more  tlian  to  be  truthful  or  true   men.     It  is 
to  be  in  a  state  of  spiritual  affinity  with  the 
truth  of  God  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  including 
him.     It  is  to  be  of  the  light  of  God  (sons 
of  light.   John  12:  36),   the   reflection  of  his 
own   nature.      Spiritual   attainments  do  not 
come  single.     If  we  h.ive  brotherly  love,  we 
have  much  with  it.     It  brings  other  experi- 
ences with  it ;  and  one  of  these  is  the  con- 
sciousness that  we  are  neither  deceivers  nor 
self-deceived,  that  we  belong  to  the  spiritual 
sphere,  that  we  are  true  Christians.     Before 
him.      Before    God.      (ver.  20.)     In    his  very 
sight.     Even  before  the  searching  eye  of  his 
holiness.   The  position  of  the  expression  in  the 
Greek  suggests  emphasis.     The  judgment  day 
does  not  seem  to  be  referred  to  as  the  day  of 
final  revelation,  but  the  present  period  of  ex- 
perience, as  the  preceding  sentence  and  the 
following  verse  make  most  natural.      Shall 
assure    (or,    persuade).      Co-ordinate    with 
'shall  know,'  and  springing  out  of  the  same 
condition  of  love.     Our  hearts.     As  the  seat 
of    moral    feeling,  conscience,    yielding   dis- 
turhing  accusation  or  pticif^'ing  approval.  The 
tenorof  the  next  verse  makesthisevident.    The 
term    elsewhere    ma^'   include   other  springs 
of  feeling.    '  To  persuade  our  hearts  '  is  to  make 
a  plea  before  them  as  if  they  were  judges;  to 


it  upon  our  side,  so  that  it  clears  us  and  speaks 
peace.  Of  course,  guilt  and  fear  are  removed 
from  the  conscience  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
but  the  full  assurance  of  tliis  work  in  its 
peaceful  effects  comes  in  connection  with 
brotherly  love,  not  apart  from  it.  If  the  love 
be  absent,  the  assurance  of  forgiveness,  the 
consciousness  of  a  cletm  conscience,  are  absent 
also.  Love  does  not  cleanse  the  conscience, 
but  it  supplies  to  it  a  satisfying  argument  that 
the  guilt  is  taken  away.  One  grace  may  be 
the  advocate  and  light  of  another. 

20,  For   if  our   heart   condemn    (know 
aught   against)    us    (it   is   because),   God    is 
greater  than  our  heart  and  knoweth  all 
things.      Hence,  if  conscience  is  assured,  it 
must  be  before  God.     John  gives  this  verse  as 
the  reason  (on)  for  emphasizing  '  before  hitn  ' 
{iix-npoaBiv  avTov)  in  Connection  with  the  assuring 
of  the  heart,  in  the  preceding  sentence.     'Be- 
fore him  '  has  the  place  of  emphasis,  and  ujum 
it  hinges  our  present  verse.    This  is  so  evident 
that  the  wonder  is  how  the  expositors  could 
generally  miss  this  key  of  the  interpretation, 
as  they  have  done.    If  conscience  is  persuaded 
and  pacified  merely  in  and  by  itself,  that  may 
be  insufficient;   but  if  it  be  done  under  the 
searching  eye  and   full   knowledge  of  God, 
then  it  is  well  done;    and  not  otherwise  can  it 
be  well   done,  since  God  is  greater  than  our 
conscience  and  knows  all  things,  and  his  holi- 
ness and  knowledge  trust  judge  more  per- 
feclh-.     Conscience,  "  if  not  forcibly  stopped, 
naturally'  and  always  goes  on  to  anticipate  a 
higher   and   more   effectual  sentence,  whicli 
shall  hereafter  second  and  affirm   its  own." 
(Bishop  Butler.)    In  the  presence  of  brotherly 
love,  the  heart  is  peaceful  in  its  own  court  and 
in  God's.    Thesecond  'because'  states  the  rea- 
son for  the  hetirt's  condemnation.     That  con- 
demnation is  the  echo  of  the  voice  of  him  who  is 
greater  and  knows  all  things.     The  reason  of 
the  hearts  sentence  is  back  in  God  himself. 
In  the  action  of  conscience,  therefore,  there  is 
a  certain  revelation  of  God.     The  relation  of 
the  word  'because'    we  have  indicated  in  the 
translation  by  assuming  an  ellipsis,  and  sup- 


44 


I.   JOHN. 


[Ch.  III. 


21  Beloved,  if  our  heart  eondeiua  us  not,  then  have  I  22  demn  us  not,  we  have  boldness  toward  God ;  and 
we  confidence  toward  (_iod.  whatsoever  we  asl^,  we  receive  of  hiui,  because  we 

22  And  whatsoever  we  ask,  we  receive  of  him,  be-  keep  his  comniandineuts,  and  do  the  things  that 
cause  we  keep  liis  coniuiandiuents,  and  do  those  things  23  are  pleasing  in  his  sight.  And  tliis  is  his  conimund- 
that  are  pleasing  in  his  sight.                                                     men t,  that  we  should  ibelieve  iu  the  name  of  his 

■16  And  this  is  his  commandment,  That  we  should  | 


1  Gr.  believe  the  name. 


plying  the  simple  words  'it  is.'  The  ellipsis 
is  not  foreign  to  John's  peculiar  style.  See 
2:  19;  3:  12. 

31,  22.  Beloved.  See  note  on  ver.  2.  If 
our  heart  condemn  us  not.  Being  pacified 
in  the  presence  of  God.  Then  have  we  con- 
fidence (or  boldness)  toward  (^od.  "Which 
is  an  advance  upon  a  state  of  peace.  This 
boldness  is  the  sense  of  freedom  and  confi- 
dence. See  note  under  2:  28.  When  free 
from  condemnation,  we  are  more  than  free; 
we  look  up  to  God  in  perfect  childlike  confi- 
dence, and  so  come  boldly  unto  a  throne  of 
grace.  See  next  sentence.  And  whatso- 
ever we  ask  (in  the  confidence  just  spoken 
ofj  we  receive  of  (from,  diTrb,  not  jrapa)  him — 
nameh',  from  God,  to  whom  we  come  with 
freedom  of  con.sciencc  and  supplication.  The 
asking  is  that  of  those  who  are  in  the  sphere 
of  brotherly  love,  and  bear  the  name  of  be- 
loved. It  is  one  form  which  the  spiritual 
freedom  of  the  child  in  his  Father's  house 
takes.  God  receives  it  as  a  proof  of  our  confi- 
dence in  him  if  we  ask  him  for  what  we  need, 
and  he  is  not  annoyed,  but  pleased.  The  free 
feeling  toward  God  must  go  out  in  pra^-er. 
And  the  asking  that  comes  of  tliis  child-spirit 
of  the  life  of  divine  love,  will  be  in  faith,  and 
in  the  Holj'  Spirit,  and  according  to  the  will 
of  God;  and  whatsoever  a  Christian  asks  of 
God  witii  these  conditions,  he  will  receive 
from  him,  whether  it  be  a  temporal  good  or  a 
spiritual  grace.  That  word  ' ichatsoever'  is 
of  wonderful  range,  and  includes  temporal 
things  as  much  as  it  does  spiritual ;  but  it  is 
true  of  him  who  prays  in  union  with  God 
and  in  the  Spirit  of  supplications,  (zech.  12:  lO; 
Rom.  8:26.)  The  prayer,  then,  for  small  thing  or 
great  is  a  divine  thought.  Like  a  river,  the 
spiritual  child's  prayer  flows  down  into  the 
ocean  of  God,  and  returns  in  dews  and  rains 
upon  him.  True  prayer  corresponds  to  the 
system  of  veins  and  arteries  in  the  human 
body— life  rising  to  the  heart  and  coming 
from  the  heart.  Because  we  keep  his 
commandments.  This  marks  the  thor- 
oughly obedient  spirit  that  underlies  effectual  | 


praying,  and  recalls  the  already  implied  rela- 
tion of  such  praying  to  loving  the  brethren. 
For  the  comnjandments  spoken  of  include  iu 
particular,  as  in  2:  3,  the  one  on  which  John 
has  dwelt  so  much,  that  of  loving  a  brother 
with  the  love  of  Christ.  The  man  who  does 
this,  which  is  the  very  essence  of  obedience, 
will  obey  in  other  things,  and  he  will  pray 
effectually  for  all  things  that  truly  concern 
him.  (Ps.i38:8.)  He  is  the  righteous  man  of 
whom  James  speaks,  and  whose  fervent  praj-er 
availeth  much.  He  is  the  righteous  one  to 
whose  cry  the  ears  of  Jehovah  are  open,  as 
the  Psalmist  declares.  As  a  rule,  save  in  the 
case  of  the  sinner  first  crying  for  pardon, 
effectual  praying  is  the  fruit  of  a  godly  tree. 
"  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in 
you,  3'e  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  bo 
done  unto  you."  (jobni5:7.)  It  is  not  the 
occasional  exertion  of  a  lean,  disobedient 
soul  ;  it  is  the  overflow  of  an  habitual  spirit- 
uality-. And  do  those  things  that  are 
pleasing  iu  his  sight.  Keeping  the  com- 
mandments, especially  that  enjoining  broth- 
erly love,  is  beautiful  in  his  sight,  and  is  a 
reflection  of  his  own  nature.  We  ought  to 
keep  the  commandments,  in  order  to  please 
God. 

23.  And  connects  the  previous  reference 
to  commandments  with  an  added  unfulding 
definition.  This  is  his  commandment — 
namely,  a  brotherly  love  with  its  root  in  be- 
lief in  Christ,  or  belief  in  Christ  with  its  out- 
growth in  brotherly  love;  for  so  are  they 
viewed  as  one  by  the  writer,  and  called  one 
commandment.  They  are  inseparable.  In- 
evitably, faith  works  by  love.  But  though 
they  develop  as  vitally'  one,  they  have  a 
logical  order,  which  is  given  in  the  statement 
of  the  verse.  John's  word  surely  suggests 
that  what  is  cardinal  in  Christianity  is  belief 
in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  brotherly  love,  devel- 
oped in  a  gracious  unity.  The  term  'his'  has 
its  natural  antecedent  in  God.  That  (Iva) 
states  the  end  as  well  as  substance  of  God's 
command.  The  command  looks  directly  to 
the  act  of  obedience,  as  well  as  the  rule  of  it. 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  JOHN. 


45 


believe  on  the  name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  love 
one  aiiothor,  as  he  gave  us  conmiaudnient. 

24  And  he  that  keepeth  his  coniiuaiidMients  dwelleth 
in  him,  and  lie  in  him.  And  lieiehy  we  know  that  he 
abideth  in  us,  by  the  Spirit  which  he  hath  given  us. 


Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  love  one  another,  even  as  he 
24  gave  us  coiumandnient.  And  he  that  keepeih  his 
comniaiulmeiits  abideth  in  hiiu,  and  he  in  liiin. 
And  hireby  we  know  that  he  abideth  iu  us,  by  the 
Spirit  that  he  gave  us. 


BELOVED,  believe  not  every  spirit, but  try  the  spirits 
wliet  her  they   are  of  God :    because  many    false 
prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Beloved,  believe  not  every  spirit,  but  prove  the 


Believing  on  the  niuiie  (dative  because  tiuit  to 
which  tlie  action  is  given  and  on  which  it 
terminates)  of  Jesus  Christ  is  believing  in 
him  as  fulfilling  all  that  his  name  and  his 
revelation  express.  "It  is  to  believe  the  gos- 
pel message  concerning  him,  and  him  as 
living  in  it  in  all  his  fullness."  (Alford.) 
As  he  (Christ)  gave  us  coinmaiidnient. 
If  'he'  were  God,  the  present  statement 
would  only  repeat  practically  the  first  words 
of  the  verse.  But  making  it  Christ,  the  writer 
adds  the  confirmation  and  pattern  of  a  well- 
known  historical  fact. 

24.  And  resumes  the  subject  of  keeping 
the  commandtneiits  (plural)  begun  in  the  last 
part  of  ver.  22.  He  that  keepeth  his  com- 
inandnients.  Including  the  double  cardinal 
command  of  ver.  23,  and  others.  In  the  pres- 
ent verse  these  commands  are  referred  to 
Christ  as  tlieir  author,  to  whom  the  last  pre- 
ceding words  have  called  the  writer's  thought. 
The  following  words  about  a  mutual  indwell- 
ing refer  more  naturally  to  Christ,  and  to 
some  of  his  very  words  in  the  Gospel  of  John. 
The  ease  with  which  our  apostle  can  glide,  in 
thought  and  affirmation,  from  Father  to  Son, 
in  the  discussions  of  truth  and  grace,  shows 
what  equal  honor  and  what  relation  of  unity 
they  had  in  his  mind.  On  the  keeping  of  the 
commands,  see  note  under  2:  3.  The  abiding 
of  us  in  union  with  Christ,  and  of  hitn  in 
union  with  us,  is  presented  as  something 
which  attends,  accompanies,  goes  along  with, 
keeping  his  commands,  and  is  evidenced  by 
this  keeping,  and  is  itself  in  turn  fostered 
by  it.  And  hereby — namely,  by  the  Spirit 
given  us.  We  know.  As  a  continuous  con- 
sciousness. That  he  (Christ)  abideth  in 
lis.  This  is  a  matter  of  realization,  of  a 
knowledge  as  certain  to  us  as  a  part  of  our- 
selves. From  what  shall  such  assurance 
spring?  By  the  Spirit  which  he  (Christ) 
hath  given  (or  gave)  us.  'Us'  Christians, 
when  we  believed.  The  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  from  the  Father.     But  it  is  also  from 


the  Son,  as  many  passages  show.  The  Spirit, 
dwelling  in  us  as  a  i)ersonal  i)resence,  reveals 
and  witnesses  of  our  union  with  Christ.  It  is 
his  office  to  make  our  new  life  a  consciousness. 
And  this  gift  of  the  Spirit,  working  this 
knowledge,  is  the  privilege  of  all  believers. 
But  not  all  who  profess  to  have  the  Spirit 
have  received  him;  lienoe  the  need  of  cau- 
tion, which  leads  on  to  the  earnest  charge  in 
the  following  section. 


Ch.  4:  1-6.  The  Duty  and  Method  of 
Testing  those  who  come  to  us  Claiming 
TO  have  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Tliis  is  the  occasion  of  bringing  to  view  once 
more  (see  2:  18)  the  false  teachers,  or  anti- 
christs. The  apostle  severely  exposes  them, 
and  utters  a  sharp  warning  against  them. 
We  discover  some  reason  why  John  should 
be  called  Boanerges. 

1.  Beloved.  Set  off  against  the  enemies 
and  errorists.  See  explanation  under  3:  2. 
All  who  appreciate  the  new  nature  love  them. 
Possibly  we  are  too  reserved  in  applying  this 
name.  Believe  not  every  spirit.  Here 
John  refers  to  the  si)irits  of  men,  considered 
as  having  religious  capacity,  and  under  the 
influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  or  the  spirit  of 
antichrist.  At  the  close  of  the  preceding 
chapter  one  might  say  :  "  But  shall  I  take  the 
word  of  every  man  who  saj's  he  has  the 
Spirit?  Is  a  man's  saying  he  has  the  Spirit 
enough  for  me?  Maj'  I  receive  liim  on  this?  " 
"No,"  says  John,  "it  is  your  bounden  duty, 
and  I  command  you  not  to  believe  every 
spirit,  but  to  test  everj'  one  thoroughly.  Use 
reasonable  tests  to  find  out  whether  the  spirit 
of  him  who  comes  to  you  with  his  religious 
claims  has  been  truly  imbued  with  God's 
Spirit,  or  is  under  some  other  influence.'"  Tiie 
command  suggests  that  we  should  carefully 
CAdtnine  and  prove  all  who  apply  for  a  place 
in  Christ's  Church,  as  well  as  those  who  as- 
sume to  be  Christian  teachers.  By  implica- 
tion it  forbids  building  up  the  Church  with  an 


46 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  IV. 


2  Hereby  know  ye  the  Spirit  of  God:  Every  spirit 
that  coulessetli  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  is 
oftjod:  ,    ^    ^ 

3  And  every  spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  cotue  in  the  tlesh  is  not  of  God:  and  this  is 


spirits,  whether  they  are  of  God;  because  many 

2  false  prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world.  Here- 
by know  ye  the  !!-pirit  of  (iod:  every  siiirit  that 
confesseth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  is 

3  of  God:'and  every  spirit  that  'confesseth  not  Jesus 
is   not  of  God:   and  this  is  the  spirit  of  the  auti- 


1  Some  ancient  authori  ks  read  annuUeth  Jetua. 


unconverted  membership  or  recognizing  an 
unregenerate  ministry.  We  may  mistake, 
but  we  are  bound  to  use  all  reasonable  means 
to  discriminate.  Of  God.  Allied  to  him  in 
spiritual  nature.  Because.  Reason  making 
tiie  trial  necessary  and  urgent.  One  might 
ask:  "Have  any  claimed  to  have  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  are  false  in  that  claim?"  "Yes," 
says  the  apostle;  "and  not  a  few,  hut  many." 
The  many  false  prophets  are  the  same  as  the 
many  antichrists  of  2:  18.  A  prophet  is  one 
who  speaks  for  another.  Tlie  false  prophet 
professes  to  speak  for  God  and  under  his  in- 
spiration, as  the  antichrist  falsely  claims  to  be 
on  the  side  of  Christ  and  to  represent  his 
teaching.  Are  gone  out.  From  the  rsinks 
of  Christian  profession  (■^■- t9),  and  are  now 
abroad  spreading  their  errors  in  the  world. 

2.  Hereby— or,  in  the  operation  of  the  test 
about  to  be  stated.  Know  ye  (or,  ye  know). 
The  moment  the  test  is  named.  With  Alford, 
against  almost  all,  we  prefer  the  indicative  to 
the  imperative.  It  is  more  in  John's  confi- 
dential manner,  and  sounds  more  like  the 
occasional  in  this  we  know.  The  Spirit  of 
God.  The  Holy  Spirit  (of  3:  24)  identifying 
himself  with  the  human  spirit  to  which  ho  is 
given;  the  Holy  Spirit  working  in  men's 
spirits.  This  is  the  common  view  ;  probably 
the  better  view.  Yet  the  spirit,  whichever 
one  it  is,  that  belongs  to  God,  may  be  meant. 
Every  spirit  that  confesseth.  Not  merelj- 
once,  but  right  on.  The  confession  is  some- 
thing uttered  before  men.  Unexpressed  con- 
fession is  a  contradiction  of  terms,  and  a  thing 
impossible.  As  Lange  suggests,  the  very  word 
means  the  oral  confession  of  a  truth  or  real- 
ity. Such  confession  is  one  of  the  fixed  laws 
of  tl/e  new  life.  There  is  no  heavenly  prom- 
ise for  him  who  is  unwilling  to  confess  Christ 
before  men.  The  Bible  does  not  own  such  an 
one  as  having  sjilvation.  (Rom.  to :  9,  to.)  That 
Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh.  The 
matter  of  the  confession  is  not  the  mere  name 
of  Christ,  wliich  even  the  errorists  confessed; 
but  it  is  Clirist  in  his  genuine  nature  and  office, 
having  a  particular  history,  and  embodying 


a  particular  system  of  truth.  It  is  that  he  is 
Jesus,  and  therefore  the  Saviour  of  a  people. 
It  is  that  he  is  Christ,  and  theref<.re  the 
Anointed  of  God.  It  is  that  this  Christ  Jesus 
has  come  from  God  in  the  flesh,  in  a  real,  not 
a  seeming  humanity,  with  the  soul  and  body 
of  human  nature.  When  John  wrote,  men 
were  beginnitig  to  teach  that  Christ  only  ap- 
peared to  have  a  human  nature,  as  the  angels 
who  came  to  Lot  and  Manoah  ;  and,  being 
a.«tray  on  the  incarnation  of  Christ,  they  were 
necessarily  at  fault  as  to  his  priestlj'  work  and 
his  saving  power.  It  was  but  the  divergence 
of  a  step,  some  might  say,  but  it  really  in- 
volved a  denial  of  the  gospel  salvation  by  the 
God-man,  Christ,  and  his  real  death  ;  and  a 
person  could  not  deny  that  essential  scheme 
of  salvation  and  be  saved  by  it  at  the  same 
time.  This  is  a  fearful  warning  to  such  as  are 
not  docile  enougli  to  receive  the  nature  and 
work  of  Christ  as  they  are;  who  wish  to  ex- 
plain this  or  that  away,  who  diverge  by  a 
little,  as  it  seems  from  the  total  faith.  In 
particular,  we  must  believe  aright  concerning 
Christ.  Gospel  truth  is  of  a  definite  tj'pe, 
which  the  regenerate  will  not  miss.  Tlie  spir- 
itual mind  will  take  to  it  as  naturally  as  the 
bird  to  the  air  or  the  bee  to  its  clover.  It 
does  make  a  difference  what  a  man  believes. 
Is  of  God.  Is  allied  to  him  in  spiritual 
nature  through  regeneration. 

3.  That  confesseth  not  Jesus.  'T/ie 
Jesus'  (toc  ■irjo-oOf)  that  is  set  forth,  and  as  he 
is  set  forth,  in  the  foregoing  verso;  and  hence 
omitting  the  words,  Christ  is  come  in  the 
flesh,  here  given  by  the  Common  Version, 
but  rejected  by  the  critical  text.  The  sub- 
jective negative  (/nij)  before  ti.e  word  'con- 
fesseth '  suggests  a  wilful  refusal.  The  Douay 
Version  (Roman  Catholic)  renders  this  part 
of  the  verse,  "that  dissolveth  Jesus"  (!), 
without  the  support  of  any  present  nu\nu- 
script.  Suppose  the  one  refusing  to  confess 
Jesus  and  his  true  office  an'S  nature,  should 
be  sincere,  that  does  not  alter  the  cardinal 
fact  of  his  standing;  he  is  not  of  («)  God. 
And   (moreover)   this  (spirit  not  confessing 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  JOHN. 


47 


Ihat  Dpirit  of  aiiticlirist,  whori-of  ye  have  heard  that  it 
sliimki  coiuc;  and  even  now  already  is  it  in  the  Wdrld. 

4  Ye  are  of  Ci<xi,  little  eliildren,  and  have  overeonie 
tlieni :  because  greater  is  he  that  is  iu  you,  thau  he  that 
is  in  the  world. 

ri  They  are  of  the  world :  therefore  speak  they  of  the 
world,  and  the  world  heareth  them. 

6  We  are  of  God:  he  that  kuoweth  God  heareth  us: 


Christ,  whereof  ye  have  heard  that  it  conieth;  and 

4  now  it  is  in  the  world  already.  Ye  are  of  (iod,  my 
little  children,  and  liave  overcome  them:  be- 
cause greater  is  he  that  is  in  you  than  he  that  is 

5  in  the  world.  They  are  ol  the  world;  therelore 
sjjcak  they  as  of  the  world,  and  the  world  heareth 

6  theiu.  We  are  of  God:  he  that  kuoweth  God  hear- 
eth us ;  he  who  is  not  of  God  heareth  us  not.    By 


Christ  in  his  true  nature")  is  that  spirit  of 
antichrist  (literally'',  the  antichrifit)  where- 
of ye    have    heard   that  it   should   come 

(literally,  conieth).  This  is  the  s))irit  answer- 
ing to,  and  identified  with,  the  spirit  of  anti- 
christ. The  Christian  professor  who  has  this 
spirit  is  an  antichrist.  See  full  explanation 
of  the  word  'cometh,'  and  especially  of 'anti- 
christ,' under  2:  18.  Let  it  be  recalled'  and 
emphasized,  that  an  antichrist  is  not  one  who 
denies  Christ  outright;  but  one  who,  claim- 
ing to  receive  him,  attributes  to  him  such  a 
nature,  work,  or  doctrine  as  really  makes  an- 
other Christ  of  him.  The  name  may  be  given 
to  one  so  doing,  or  to  the  common  spirit  per- 
vading all  who  do  this.  Along  all  the  gospel 
age,  this  "man  of  sin"  (2Thes3.2:3)  has  his 
types,  men  who,  claiming  the  Christian  name, 
are  perverting  the  fundamental  doctrine  it 
represents. 

4.  Ye  (emphatic)  are  of  God,  little  chil- 
dren, and  have  overcome  them.  'Little 
children'  (note  on  2:  1)  were  they;  not  boast- 
ful, not  overbearing,  not  conceited,  not  origi- 
nators of  a  religious  philosophy  of  their  own, 
not  in  haste  to  say  what  God  ought  to  do  and 
Christ  ought  to  be;  but  men  and  women  of 
the  child-spirit,  willing  to  receive  Christ  as  he 
is,  his  word  as  he  gave  it,  willing  to  confess 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  all  his  nature,  work,  truth  ; 
trusting,  docile,  obedient;  such  they  were, 
and  as  such  were  of  God,  born  of  him,  be- 
longing to  him,  having  his  Spirit;  tried  bj'^ 
the  tests,  and  not  found  wanting.  And  they 
had  'overcome'  (Johannean  word)  those 
who  had  made  other  confession  and  were  of  a 
ditferent  spirit.  They  were  not  caught  with 
their  delusions,  nor  led  into  their  snares.  In 
all  their  contests  with  them  they  had  tri- 
umphed, and  should  triumph.  The  shout  of 
u  king  was  among  them.  The  errorists  might 
be  more  eloquent,  higher  up  in  the  social 
scale,  more  learned,  but  the  little  ones  having 
the  truth  were  the  conquering  people.  Be- 
cause greater  is  he  that  is  in  you  than 
he  that  is  in  the  world.  The  reason  of  the 
prevalence  of  spiritual  men  is  not  in  them- 


selves. They  need  not  take  personal  credit. 
The  one  in  them,  in  union  with  their  hearts, 
is  God;  naturally  suggested  by  the  previous 
clause,  and  by  the  relation  of  terms  in  3:  10. 
The  one  'in  the  world,'  in  union  with  the 
men  of  the  world,  is  the  devil.  (Joimu:  so;  2Cor. 
1: 4;  Eph.2:  2.)  The  world  is  a  more  general 
term  than  antichrist.  All  outside  of  God"s 
light  and  life  are  of  the  world;  while  anti- 
christ includes  those  who  profess  Christ  but 
make  him  another  Christ.  But  the  latter  be- 
long also  to  the  wider  class  of  the  world,  as 
John's  reasoning  assumes;  and  if  so,  he  that 
is  in  the  world  is  in  them.  And  God  is 
stronger  than  he.  "Which  the  overcoming 
side  is,  therefore,  cannot  be  doubtful. 

5.  They  are  of  («)  the  world.  Of  one 
nature  with  it.  What  the  preceding  words 
had  implied  as  to  the  belonging  of  the  false 
teachers  is  now  expressly  stated.  They  may 
be  enrolled  insome  church  bearing  the  Chris- 
tian name;  they  may  profess  to  be  the  only 
consistent  expounders  of  Christianit3';  they 
may  claim  the  Spirit  divine;  but  in  truth 
they  are  of  the  world,  wholly  under  worldly 
motives,  still  unconverted,  still  in  their  sins. 
They  may  have  a  strong  religiousness,  but 
not  the  Spirit  of  God.  Therefore  speak 
they  of  (e(c)  the  world.  Their  doctrine 
necessarily  partakes  of  the  worldly  nature 
within  them  and  about  them.  They  teach  a 
system  congenial  to  worldly  men.  And  the 
world  heareth  them.  "Adopts  readily 
their  teaching  so  accordant  with  its  own 
spirit."  (Hackett.)  The  world  loves  its  own. 
See  John  8:  47;  15:  19;  17:  U.  How  much 
in  the  circle  of  his  Master's  teaching  and  very 
words  is  John.     "Wonderful  receptivity  ! 

6.  We  (emphatic)  are  of  i«)  God.  Allied 
to  him  in  spiritual  nature  through  the  new 
birth  ;  in  contrast  with  the  antichrists.  And 
so  in  sympathy  with  God's  doctrine,  and 
speaking  it.  By  '  we'  John  means  especially 
himself  and  the  true  teachers,  not  excluding, 
however,  any  of  the  spiritual  party.  The 
Cliurch  speaks  doctrine  through  its  teachers. 
He  that  kuoweth  God  lieareth  us.    Ex- 


48- 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  IV. 


Jie  that  is  not  of  God  heareth  not  us.    Hereby  know  we 
the  spirit  (if  truth,  and  the  spirit  of  error. 

7  Btlo\ed,  let  us  Icive  one  unuther:  fur  love  is  of  God ; 
and  every  oue  that  lovelh  is  boru  of  God,  and  knoweth 
God. 


this  we  know  the  spirit  of  truth,  and  the  spirit  of 
error. 
7      Beloved,  let  us  love  ooe  another :   for  love  is  of 
God;  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  begotten  of  God, 


perimenttil  knowledge,  knowledge  that  re- 
ceives its  object.  The  hearing  is  more  than 
that  of  the  ear;  it  is  willing  adoption  of  the 
teaching,  as  being  consonant  with  the  heart's 
knowledge  of  God.  The  heart  and  the  doc- 
trine are  in  one  sphere.  He  that  is  not  of 
God,  heareth  not  us.  For  the  reason  just 
suggested.  It  is  not  the  spiritual  mind  (Joho 
10:  8),  but  the  unspiritual,  that  goes  after  the 
errorists,  that  prefers  human  philosophy  to 
the  true  word.  Hereby  know  we.  That 
is,  from  the  criteria  just  mentioned.  What 
one  most  readily  hears,  shows  what  spirit  he 
is  of,  to  what  nature  or  sphere  he  belongs. 
The  knowledge  is  that  of  quality,  hence  the 
knowledge  of  discrimination.  The  Spirit 
of  truth,  and  the  spirit  of  error.  As  they 
are  in  men.  The  Spirit  of  truth  is  the  Holy 
Spirit  (John  14:  17)  in  his  relation  to  truth.  The 
spirit  of  error  is  the  devil  in  his  fontal  relation 
to  all  false  doctrine.  He  who  welcomes 
Christ's  doctrines  has  the  Spirit  who  gives 
them.  He  whose  soul  takes  naturally  to  false 
doctrine  is  in  affinity  with  the  arch  seducer, 
liar,  and  wanderer.  The  closing  words  of 
the  section  look  buck  to  the  opening  words. 

7-13.  Christian  Love  Enjoined  in  New 
Connections.     It  is  the  Evidence  that 

WE  ARE  BOKN  OF  GoD.  THAT  WE   KnOW  GOD, 

THAT  WE  Appreciate  God's  Love  to  us, 

AND  THAT  GOD  IS  DWELLING  IN  US. 

John  resumes  the  great  theme  of  brotherly 
love  with  which  he  closed  the  last  chapter; 
"but  this  time  in  nearer  and  deeper  connec- 
tion with  our  birth  from  God,  and  knowledge 
of  him  who  is  himself  love."  (Alford.)  Hav- 
ing just  spoken  of  signs  of  the  presence  of 
the  Spirit;  he  is  led  again  to  that  great  de- 
monstration of  the  new  life  afforded  in  the 
exercise  of  love.  Love,  he  maintains  is  not 
only  a  duly,  hut  belongs  to  the  verj^  nature 
of  our  divine  kinship  through  regeneration; 
and  hence,  if  wanting,  our  divine  life  is  with- 
out reality. 

7.  Beloved.  See  notes  on  ?.:  2;  4:1.  Let 
MS  love  one  another.  See  note  on  3:  18. 
H'lw  much  John  dwells  on  this  grace!  How 
hirgea  pMrt of  Christianity  it  is  to  him!  Along 
with  faith,  with  which  it  is  organically  one,  it 


is  paramount.  (3;  23.)  Faith  unites  to  Christ; 
and  love,  to  each  other.  New  convictions 
of  the  importance  and  indispensableness  of 
brotherly  love  come  with  the  study  of  this 
Epistle.  More  plainly  we  see  that  he  who  has 
it  not  is  not  a  Christian,  however  correct  he 
may  be  in  other  respects.  A  new  heart  will 
not  be  persistently  hard  toward  a  brother. 
That  is  a  fixed  point.  To  carry  hatred  and 
spite  into  the  fellowship  of  Christ's  Church,  is 
to  carry  in  the  spirit  of  Cain  and  the  devil. 
It  is  to  take  a  piece  of  hell  into  heaven.  "What 
this  love  is,  as  distinguished  from  general 
benevolence  and  neighborliness,  has  been 
fully  stated.  It  is  the  family  affection  of 
God's  house,  as  peculiar,  as  exclusive,  as  a 
mother's  love  for  her  own  child.  Did  not 
Jesus  love  John  otherwise  than  he  did  Herod 
and  Caiaphas?  This  love  of  spiritual  kinship, 
like  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  di.'^tinguishes  Chris- 
tianity generically  from  all  other  religions. 
It  takes  it  from  their  category'.  Let  it  be 
added  that  it  is  a  grace  which  we  are  called 
to  exercise,  not  toward  perfect  or  agreeable 
Christians  onlj',  but  toward  very  imperfect 
and  not  wholly  congenial  Christians;  for 
many  such  there  are.  "VVe  must  exercise  a 
love  that,  going  through  the  imperfections  of 
a  brother,  loves  him  for  Christ's  sake,  even 
at  the  cost  of  self-denial.  If  Christ  loved  us, 
as  some  Christians  bestow  their  love— nameh-, 
on  a  principle  of  loving  only  agreeable  Chris- 
tians, where  might  we  stand?  For  love  is 
of  God.  Of  one  nature  with  him.  Not 
nntural  love,  which  all  men  have,  but  Chris- 
tian love.  It  is  not  anything  we  have  by 
nature;  does  not  spring  out  of  natural  rela- 
tionships; is  not  born  of  the  flesh  ;  does  not 
belong  to  the  plane  of  earthly  loves;  is  not, 
as  some  have  said,  natural  love  directed  to 
new  objects;  but  is  a  heavenly  principle, 
created  in  us  out  of  the  very  nature  of  God  ; 
in  God  before  it  was  in  us.  '(K""-^-^)  "The 
iippetite  for  good  is  from  God,  the  unchange- 
able good;  which  appetite  is  love,  of  which 
John  saith,  'Love  is  of  God.'  Not  that  its 
beginning  is  of  us,  and  its  perfecting  of  God, 
but  that  the  w^hole  of  love  is  from  God." 
(Augustine.)    And  every  one  that  lovelh 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  JOHN. 


49 


8  He  that  loveth  not,  knoweth  not  God ;  for  God  is 
love. 

9  In  this  was  manifested  the  love  of  God  toward  us, 
because  that  God  sent  his  only  hegotten  Son  into  the 
world,  that  we  might  live  through  hiui. 


8  and  knoweth  (Jod.    He  that  loveth  not  knoweth 

9  not  (iod;  for  God  is  love.  Herein  was  the  love  of 
tiod  manitVsted  Mn  us,  that  God  hath  sent  his  only 
begottiMi   Sou   into  the  world,  that  we   might  live 

10  through  him.    Uereio   is  love,  not  that  we  loved 


is  born  (or,  begotten)  of  God  and  knoweth 

God.  Love  is  the  evidence  of  the  new  birth 
and  of  spiritual  knowledge.  If  one  has  this 
divine  principle,  it  proves  that  he  himself  has 
a  nature  from  God  and  an  experience  of  God. 
Love  is  the  predicate  of  the  renewed  state,  and 
the  logical  development  of  spiritual  knowl- 
edge. 

8.  He  that  loveth  not,  knoweth  (or,  knew) 
not  God.  That  is,  never  knew  God  at  any 
time;  or  perhaps  when  he  professed  such 
knowledge.  The  past  tense  makes  the  state- 
ment peculiarly  significant  and  strong.  For 
God  is  love.  The  expression  is  one  of  the 
deepest  in  the  Bible.  Its  meaning  will  ever 
grow  in  the  mind  of  the  growing  Christian, 
and  still  be  unfathomable.  It  is  said  not  alone 
of  the  loving  action  of  God,  not  alone  of  the 
tender  feelings  of  God,  but  of  the  very  nature 
of  God.  Love  is  a  component  of  his  being, 
the  conscious  state  of  his  being.  There  is  no 
part  of  his  nature  that  is  wanting  in  this  ele- 
ment. It  is  co-extensive  with  his  life.  One, 
therefore,  who  in  the  new  birth  gets  something 
of  God's  nature,  must  get  a  portion  of  the 
divine  love.  It  is  simply  impossible  to  be 
born  from  above,  without  receiving  this  prin- 
ciple. He,  therefore,  who  does  not  love,  in 
the  Christian  sense,  is  not  spiritually  related 
to  him,  and  hence  does  not  know  him,  and  can- 
not. Or,  he  that  loves  not,  knows  not  love; 
and  if  he  knows  not  love,  he  knows  not  God, 
for  God  is  love.  A  close  texture  of  truth. 
[Compare  the  statements,  "God  is  a  spirit," 
John  4:  24;  "God  is  light,"  1  John  1:  5, 
with  this  "God  is  love." — A.  H.] 

9.  In  this — namely,  in  sending  the  Divine 
Son  with  the  motive  of  our  salvation.  Was 
manifested  the  love  of  God  toAvard  us. 
[Kather,  in  tis — ev  iinlv  . — A.  H.]  That  is,  at 
the  time  of  our  conversion,  by  means  of  the 
salvation-facts  we  then  became  experiment- 
ally acquainted  with.  Thus  were  manifested 
the  fact,  nature,  and  degree  of  the  love  of 
God.  Because  that  (better,  as  in  Kevised 
Version,  that,  the  fact  that;  declarative,  not 
causal)  God  sent  (hath  sent) ;  sent  from  him- 


self in  heaven,  involving  the  personal  pre- 
existcnce  of  the  One  sent.  Hath  sent  forth 
at  a  particular  moment  in  the  past;  but  the 
event  is  viewed  as  prolonged  in  its  operation, 
and  in  its  vital  relation  to  the  experience  of 
believers;  hence  the  perfect  tense.  His  onl^f 
begotten  Son  "expresses  an  unique  kiridred- 
ship  of  nature,  and  involves  a  correspond- 
ent affection  (ps.  22 :  20,  septuagii.t)  of  him  who 
begat;  expresses  an  eternal  relation,  not  eter- 
nal generation."  (Hackett.)  Theterin'only 
begotten '  {iiovoyfvr,s)  is  applied  to  the  only 
child  of  earthly  parents  in  three  instances  by 
Luke  (7:12;  8:42;  9:38),  and  oncc  in  Heb.  11: 
17.  Otherwise  it  is  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment only  by  John,  and  by  him  applied  to 
the  Son  of  God.  The  total  expression  seems, 
in  our  passage  at  least,  to  mark  a  relation  of 
a  filial  nature  held  by  the  Son  before  he  came 
in  the  flesh,  and  making  it  especially  the 
proof  of  divine  love  that  he  should  be  sent 
forth.  At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  said,  that 
the  event  of  the  incarnation  is  sufl^cient  of 
itself  to  justify  the  full  title,  or  either  part  of 
it.  All  true  Christians  are,  in  an  important 
sense,  sons  of  God,  having  been  "begotten 
again  unto  a  lively  hope"  (iPeteri:3),  and 
having  "received  the  spirit  of  adoption, 
whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father."  (R"m.8:i5.) 
"As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
they  are  the  sons  (uiol)  of  God."  (Rom. 8:14.) 
But  Christ  is  not  merely  a  Son  of  God,  he  is 
the  Son,  having  the  full  nature  of  God,  bear- 
ing a  unique  relation  to  him  in  eternity  itself, 
as  well  as  having  a  unique  history  in  the  in- 
carnation. For  the  Father  to  give  up  such  a 
Son  for  a  mission  into  this  world  of  rebellion 
and  sin  was  no  ordinary  test  or  manifestation 
of  love.  Some  picture  of  it  would  be  to  send 
our  dearest  one  into  a  lazaretto  to  save  the 
dying,  or  into  a  camp  of  rebels  to  proffer 
conditions  of  peace.  That  we  might  live 
through  him.  The  intention  of  Christ's  mis- 
sion. An  effectual,  and  not  a  contingent, 
purpose,  as  regards  believers.  The  object  of 
the  mission,  having  reference  to  our  greatest 
good,  impresses  ua  with  God's  love,  as  does 


50 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  IV. 


10  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he 
loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins. 

11  Beloved,  if  Gk)d  so  loved  us,  we  ought  also  to  love 
one  another. 

12  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time.  If  we  love 
one  another,  God  dwelleth  in  us,  and  his  love  is  per- 
fected in  us. 

13  Hereby  know  we  that  we  dwell  in  him,  and  he  in 
us,  because  he  hath  given  us  of  his  Spirit 


God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the 

11  propitiation  for  our  sins.     Beloved,  if  God  so  loved 

12  us,  we  also  ought  to  love  one  another.  No  man 
hath  beheld  God  at  any  time:  if  we  love  one 
another,  God  abideth  in  us,  and  his  love  is  perfect- 

13  ed  in  us:  hereby  know  we  that  we  abide  in  hjni, 
and  he  in  us,  because  he  hath  given  us  of  his  Spirit. 


the  self-sacrificing  means  to  effect  it.  The 
giving  up  of  the  Son,  the  giving  him  to  come 
into>uch  a  world,  and  the  thoughtful,  merci- 
ful object  of  the  mission,  combine  to  give  the 
believer  an  impressive  view  of  the  extent  and 
the  quality  of  God's  love.  The  'living'  is  the 
true  immortality  reached  in  regeneration  and 
resurrection  through  the  mediation  (5io)  of 
Christ.  The  whole  verse  condenses  a  volume 
of  truth.  It  is  a  remarkable  statement  of  the 
mission  of  Christ,  and  its  spring  in  the  eternal 
love  of  God.  It  demonstrates  the  love-nature 
asserted  in  the  foregoing  verse. 

10.  Herein  is  love.  In  its  full  nature,  so 
as  to  be  marked  and  known.  This  love  is  not 
manifested  by  the  fact  that  we  Christians 
have  loved  God.  That  is  not  extraordinary. 
But  it  is  by  the  fact  that  he  loved  us  back  in 
eternity,  without  any  love  in  us  us  the  motive  ; 
and  in  the  additional  fact  that,  self-moved, 
he  sent  his  own  Son  a  propitiation  in  respect 
to  our  sins.  Compare  Rom.  5:  8.  Loving 
sinners,  so  as  to  redeem  them  by  the  work  of 
the  atonement,  is  love.  There  you  see  it,  and 
see  what  it  is.  On  this  work  of  propitiation, 
see  note  on  2:  1,  2.  Through  our  present 
passage,  the  soul  of  John  Milne,  as  a  con- 
victed sinner,  was  brought  into  light  and 
peace. 

11.  Beloved.  See  on  3 :  2;  4:  1.  The 
term  introduces  a  fervent  appeal  and  faithful 
admonition.  The  influence  of  such  a  word 
under  such  circumstances  is  obvious.  If  God 
so  (emphatic)  loved  us  (v;hile  we  were 
yet  sinners,  and  so  much  as  to  sacrifice  his 
Son  for  us)  we  ou§:ht  also  (better,  we  also 
ought)  to  love  one  another.  "We  ought 
surely  to  love  our  own  brethren,  if  he  loved 
us  sinners;  and  to  love  them  enough  to  sacri- 
fice something  for  them.  It  is  the  argument 
from  the  greater  to  the  less.  The  argument 
of  gratitude  is  implied.  Also  the  argument 
of  the  new  nature;  since  where  is  our  like- 
ne.ss  to  God  if  we  do  not  love,  as  he  is  proved 
to  have  done? 


12.  No  man  hath  seen  (beheld)  God  at 
any  time.  Although  this  opening  is  appar- 
ently abrupt,  yet  the  connection  of  thought 
between  this  verse  and  the  preceding  is  evident 
and  simple:  We  ought  to  love  one  another; 
and,  though  we  may  not  see  God  with  these 
outward  eyes,  yet  if  we  thus  love,  God  is  in 
us  as  really  as  if  we  saw  him.  He  is  where 
his  love  is,  for  love,  as  a  divine  principle,  is  a 
part  of  himself.  God  the  Father  is  the  one 
spoken  of,  and  that  beholding  of  hini,  which 
has  thus  far  been  denied  to  mortal  man,  is  of 
the  bodily  eyes.  Men  have  seen,  with  the 
outward  vision,  the  express  image  of  the 
Father  in  Jesus  Christ  (ueb.  i:  3;  joi.u  i4:  9),  but 
not  God  the  Father  by  himself  as  he  is. 
(johuiiis.)  He  whom  Adam  and  Abraham 
and  Moses  saw  was  not  the  Father,  but  the 
Word,  the  Angel  of  Jehovah,  tlTe  veiled 
higher  nature  of  Christ  before  he  came  in  the 
flesh.  If  we  love  one  another,  God  dwell- 
eth (or,  abideth)  in  us.  God  is  where  his 
love  is,  for  it  is  inseparable  from  himself.  It 
is  himself,  just  as  his  Spirit  is.  Love  is  of 
God  in  nature  and  source,  (ver.  7.)  Loving 
one  another,  in  the  spiritual  sense,  is  the  exer- 
cise of  God's  nature  in  us.  The  loving  heart 
contains  him;  Jehovah-Shammah.  And  his 
love  (the  one  divine  principle  of  love  whether 
in  him  or  in  us)  is  perfected  in  us.  Made 
complete,  brought  to  maturity.  This  happens 
when,  experiencing  God's  love  in  us,  we  love 
one  another.  A  tree  reaches  maturity,  fulfills 
its  end,  in  bearing  fruit.  The  same  is  true  of 
the  plant  of  divine  love  in  the  heart.  Brotherly 
love  is  God's  love  fulfilling  its  end  and  bear- 
ing fruit. 

13.  Hereby  (or,  in  this) — namely,  in  the 
fact  that  God  has  given  us  the  Holy  Spirit — we 
know  that  we  dwell  (or,  abide)  in  him,  and 
he  in  us.  See  3:  24,  where  thesame  words  are 
used  of  our  union  with  Christ,  following  John 
15:  4,  5.  Here  the  apostle  means  our  union 
with  God  the  Father,  so  easy  is  the  transition 
in  thought  or  experience  from  Son  to  Father, 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  JOHN. 


51 


14  And  we  have  seen  and  do  testify  that  the  Father 
sent  the  Sun  lu  be  the  8uviour  of  the  world. 

15  Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God,  God  dwelleth  in  him,  and  he  in  God. 

16  And  we  have  known  and  believed  ihe  love  that 


SO  natural  is  it  to  honor  the  one  as  the  other, 
so  fitted  are  the  divine  predicates  to  the  one 
or  the  other.  If  we  are  united  to  Christ,  we 
are  united  to  God  in  Christ.  In  ver.  12,  Jolm 
had  said,  if  we  love,  God  abides  in  us;  but 
can  this  he  known?  "Yes,"  says  he,  "we 
may  know  it,  we  do  know  it,  as  true,  in  the 
strongest  possible  statement  of  it.  Our  divine 
union,  which  our  love  implies,  is  a  matter  of 
certain  knowledge.  It  is  a  fact  of  experience. 
We  know  it  as  much  as  we  know  our  exist- 
ence." How  do  we  know  it?  By  what  evi- 
dence? By  this — Because  he  hath  given 
us  of  his  Spirit.  For  his  presence  in  us 
declares  the  fact;  and  his  voice  in  us  is 
witness  to  the  fact.  The  Spirit  in  our  hearts 
is  the  seal  and  assurance  of  our  union  with 
God.  It  is  the  very  element  and  life  of  the 
union.  He  that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one 
Spirit.  The  gift  of  the  Spirit  carries  with  it 
every  fact  of  the  new  life.  It  proves  all.  The 
root  of  love  in  us  is  God,  whose  presence  the 
Spirit  certifies  and  reveals. 

14-16.  The  Fact  of  the  MtiTiTAL  In- 
dwelling OF  God  and  the  Christian  is 
Assured  to  v»  in  the  very  Terms  of 
Salvation,  and  in  our  Knowledge  of 
THE  Love  of  God  in  us. 

This  is  additional  to  the  assurance  of  the 
Spirit.  The  actual  spiritual  connection  of 
God  with  the  soul  of  the  renewed  man  is 
something  which  John  would  strongly  declare 
and  confirm.  Our  divine  union  is  a  first 
truth  with  him. 

14,  And  takes  up  a  new  and  additional 
line  of  proof  of  the  living  union  of  God 
and  his  people.  We.  The  Christian  party, 
through  the  apostles.  Have  seen  {or  beheld). 
Have  the  evidence  of  our  own  eyes,  accom- 
panied with  careful  contemplation.  Seel: 
1,2.  \nA  Ao  testify  {ov,  bear  witness).  Con- 
tinue to  do  so,  as  witnessing  to  the  gospel 
facts  is  not  for  once.  That  the  Father.  So 
named  here  from  his  relation  to  Christ,  rather 
than  to  John.  Sent  (better,  hath  sent).  In 
the  past,  but  the  influence  and  effects  are  still 
present.  See  on  ver.  9.  The  Son  to  be  the 
(better,  a)  Saviour  of  the  world.  'Saviour' 
is  a  distinctive  title  of  the   Son,   declaring 


14  And  we  have   beheld  and  bear  witness  that  the 
Father  hath  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the 

15  World.     Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  God,  (iod  abideth  In  hiu),  and  he  in  God. 

16  And  we  know  and  have  believed  the  love  which 

the  mission  on  which  he  was  sent  into  the 
world.  He  was  .sent  to  provide,  in  his  own 
person,  salvation  for  the  world,  which  salva- 
tion is  availed  of  and  actual!}'  applied,  through 
belief  and  confession.  See  Eom.  10;  9,  and 
our  next  verse.  See  notes  in  full  on  2:2. 
To  those  who  receive  him,  the  Son  of  God  is 
Saviour  from  what?  From  guilt  and  con- 
demnation, from  despair,  from  a  nature  of 
sin,  from  error,  from  a  body  of  death,  from 
the  world,  from  Satan,  from  an  eternal  hell ; 
requiring  a  great  Saviour,  with  all  his  deity 
and  all  his  humanity,  all  his  blood  and  all  his 
Spirit. 

15.  Whosoever  shall  confess.  As  a  part 
of  the  plan  by  which  Christ  becomes  an  eflfec- 
tual  Saviour.  It  is  a  stipulation  under  the 
salvation  proclaimed  in  the  preceding  verse, 
which  explains  the  mood  and  tense.  The 
confession  is  that  from  the  inmost  being, 
from  the  whole  being,  uttered  openly  and 
with  the  mouth.  [It  seems  to  me  that 
the  aorist  subjective  is  here  used  in  the 
sense  of  the  Latin  future-perfect;  thus, 
"Whoever  shall  have  confessed  that  Jesus 
is  the  Son  of  God,"  etc.  Yet  the  translation 
given  by  the  Kevised  English  Bible,  the  Bi- 
ble Union,  and  by  Alford,  Noyes,  and  others, 
namely:  "  Whoever  confesseth,"  etc.,  is  suf- 
ficiently exact.  The  Latin  Vulgate  reads; 
Quisquis  confessus  fuerit.  '  Compare  Winer, 
g  43.  3.  b.;  Buttmann,  "Grammar  of  the  New 
Testament  Greek,"  p.  219;  and  "Proceed- 
ings of  the  Am.  Phil.  Association  for  1877," 
pp.  22,  23.— A.  H.]  That  Jesus  (the  man) 
is  (also)  the  Son  of  God.  This  is  the  mat- 
ter of  the  saving  confession,  or  the  basal  part 
of  it.  See  on  ver.  2.  God  dwelleth  (or, 
abideth)  in  him.  In  that  man  who  thus 
confesses,  whosoever  he  is,  and  however  great 
a  sinner.  A  simple  statement  of  fact  included 
under  the  very  provision  and  terms  of  salva- 
tion by  Christ,  sealed  by  apostolic  testimony. 
And  he  in  God.  This  completes  the  expres- 
sion of  the  perfect  living  union  of  God  and 
the  regenerate  soul. 

16.  And  introduces  an  additional  confir- 
mation of  the  living  union  with  God,  co-ordi- 
nate with  that    in    ver.   14,   15.    We    have 


62 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  IV. 


God  hath  to  us.    God  is  love ;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in 
love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him. 

17  Herein  is  our  love  made  perfect,  that  we  may 
have  boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment:  because  as  he  is, 
80  are  we  in  this  world. 

18  There  is  no  fear  in  lore ;  but  perfect  love  casteth 


God  hath  i  in  us.    God  is  love ;  and  he  that  abideth 
in  love  abideth  in  God,  and  God  abideth  in   liim. 

17  Herein   is  love  made  perfect  with  us,  that  we  may 
have  boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment;  because  as  he 

18  is,  even  so  are  we  in  this  world      There  is  no  fear  in 
love:  but  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear,  because  fear 


1  Or,  in  our  caae. 


known  and  believed.  Another  certainty 
additional  to  the  '  we  have  seen '  in  ver.  14, 
and  in  the  sameten.se.  That  was  the  certainty 
of  sight;  this  of  experience.  The  saying  that 
we  have  both  '  known  and  believed '  suggests 
the  intimate  relation  of  spiritual  knowledge 
and  belief.  They  both  have  as  their  object 
things  invisible,  and  doubtless  they  are  com- 
mingled in  one  act  of  a  soul  coming  into  life. 
"  True  faith  is  a  faith  of  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience ;  true  knowledge  is  a  knowledge  of 
faith."  (Liicke.)  Note  the  order  of  the  verbs. 
There  is  a  persuasion  that  comes  of  experi- 
ence. The  love  that  God  hath  to  (in)  us. 
Not  "in  regard  to  us"  (Alford),  but  literally 
t?i  us.  In  the  new  life  we  have  experienced 
a  new  principle  of  love  in  our  hearts  which 
we  have  intuitively  recognized  as  something 
from  God,  as  his  love  in  us,  the  love  he  has 
in  us.  Now,  John,  recalling  the  proposition 
in  ver.  8,  says  God  is  love,  and  hence  this 
love  of  his  in  us,  which  we  know  and  believe, 
is  God  himself.  And,  of  course,  then,  it  fol- 
lows that  he  that  dwelleth  (or,  abideth)  in 
love  (as  he  does  who  has  God's  love  in  him) 
dwelleth  (or,  abideth)  in  God  (emphatic), 
and  God  in  him.  In  ver.  12,  the  point  is 
the  fact  of  our  union  with  God,  implied  in 
our  love.  Here  the  point  is  the  assurance  or 
confirmation  of  the  fact,  derived  from  our 
personal  experience  of  love. 

17-21.  Further  Comments  on  Spiritual 
Love:  (1)  In  Perfection,  it  takes  away 
Fear;  (2)  Its  Exercise  toward  God 
Accounted  for;  (3)  Love  to  God  Im- 
plies Love  to  Our  Brother. 

17.  Herein.  In  the  personal  experience 
of  love,  and  especially  of  the  union  with  God 
which  it  implies,  just  spoken  of;  expressing 
the  manner  or  means  of  love's  perfection  with 
us.  Or,  in  this  interest,  with  this  intention — 
namely,  that  we  may  have  boldness  in  the 
day  of  judgment;  expressing  the  end  or  pur- 
pose of  love's  perfection  with  us.  Either  ex- 
planation is  worthy;  the  former  possibly 
having  the  preference.  Other  constructions 
seem  improbable.     Is  our  love  made  per- 


fect. The  Revised  Version  is  correct:  la 
love  made  perfect  with  us  iixtO'  iiniov).  Love 
has  been  perfected,  matured,  fulfilled,  not  in 
itself,  but  with  us,  in  the  conscious  life  and 
fruit-bearing  of  our  souls.  That  (iva,  for  this 
end  that)  Ave  may  have  boldness  in  the 
day  of  {the)  judgment  states  a  divine  end 
of  the  perfection  of  love  with  us.  It  is  that 
we  may,  being  full  of  divine  love,  and  carry- 
ing along  with  us  the  calm  consciousness  of 
being  one  with  God  thereby  produced,  meet 
the  searching  judgment  of  the  last  day,  free 
from  all  sense  of  condemnation  and  perfect 
in  confidence.  In  perfected  love  there  is  a 
conscious  union  with  God  that  makes  us  bold 
and  confident  before  the  divine  Judge  him- 
self. See  2:  28;  3:  19-21.  In  this  union  we 
cannot  be  condemned  any  more  than  God 
himself.  Judgment  is  coming,  but  he  who  is 
hid  in  the  pavilion  of  God's  nature  is  as  safe 
and  confident  as  was  Noah  in  the  ark.  Be- 
cause as  he  is,  so  (or,  even  so)  are  Ave  in 
this  Avorld  expands  and  states  more  ex- 
plicitly the  reason,  or  rather  philosophy,  of 
this  complete  confidence  in  the  judgment 
day.  'He,'  or,  that  one,  is  he  before  whom 
we  shall  come  in  that  great  day,  whether  it 
be  God,  or,  as  generally  understood,  Christ, 
viewed  as  possessing  the  divine  nature.  The 
reasoning  is:  This  confidence  we  shall  have 
at  the  judgment,  because,  in  the  love  and 
union  of  God  with  us,  we  shall  bear  there  a 
nature  already  one  with  that  of  him  who  will 
judge  us.  As  he  is,  in  his  spiritual  nature, 
in  the  other  world,  so  by  divine  union  are  we 
already  in  this  world,  and  that  likeness  of 
nature  will  insure  confidence  in  the  day  of 
judgment.  This  explanation  is  quite  harmo- 
nious with  that  basis  of  love  and  divine  in- 
dwelling on  which  the  apostle  is  arguing,  and 
seems  almost  self-evident.  Notwithstanding, 
we  have  Ebrard  sajnng,  "We  contemplate 
the  words  in  question  without  any  clear  con- 
ception of  their  meaning!  " 

18.  There  is  no  fear  in  love.  In  the 
great  divine  principle  of  love,  whether  in  God 
or  in  us.  In  it  there  is  no  fear,  no  servile  fear, 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  JOHN. 


53 


out  fear :  because  fear  hath  torment.    He  that  feareth 
is  not  made  perfect  in  love. 

19  We  love  him,  because  he  first  loved  us. 

20  If  a  man  say,  1  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother, 
he  is  a  liar:  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom 
he  hath  seen,  how  can  he  love  tiod  whom  he  hath  not 
seen  7 


hath  punishment;  and  he  that  feareth  is  not  made 

19  perfect  in   love.     We    love,   because  he  first   loved 

20  us.  If  a  man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  broth- 
er, he  is  a  liar:  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother 
whom   he   hath   seen,  'cannot  love  God  whom  he 

21  hath  not  seen.    And  this  commandment  have  we 


1  Many  ancient  autborides  read  houi  can  he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  teen  t 


no  fear  of  condemnation  or  punishment,  no 
fear  that  hath  the  least  pain  in  it.  The  love 
in  God  cannot  have  any  of  this.  The  love  in 
us,  one  in  nature,  cannot  have  any  of  it.  Yet 
there  is  a  fear,  not  now  in  the  npostle's  thought, 
which  is  consistent  with  spiritual  love,  and 
perhaps  a  part  of  it.  But  perfect  love 
casteth  out  fear.  Referring  to  the  presence 
of  divine  love  in  our  hearts,  and  perfected 
there.  In  its  completeness  it  fills  the  soul, 
and  thereby  shuts  out  fear  which  is  in  us  prior 
to  such  love.  Two  spheres  cannot  occupy  the 
same  place.  But  how  does  perfect  love  in  us 
expel  fear  ?  In  the  experience  of  it,  we  feel 
completely  united  to  God,  as  it  were  a  part  of 
him.  We  look  out  upon  the  world,  upon 
opposition,  upon  death,  upon  judgment  itself, 
from  the  inclosing  being  of  God,  from  the 
canopy,  the  fortification  of  his  own  person. 
In  the  consciousness  of  this  union  we  cannot 
fear  evil,  any  more  than  God  can  fear  a  part 
of  himself.  (Rom.sii.)  Because  fear  hath 
torment  (bettev,  punishment).  For  thus  we 
must  render  this  last  word  (xoAao-ii).  Com- 
pare the   only   three   other  New   Testament 

passages    (Matt.  23:  46;  Acts  4;    21;  2  Peter  2:  9)    where 

this  word,  or  its  root,  occurs.  It  is  the 
punishment  of  the  great  day  ('■er.  n),  with 
which  fear  is  connected,  and  which  it  already 
takes  hold  upon  as  if  it  were  a  part  of  itself. 
"Fear,  by  anticipating  punishment,  has  it 
even  now ;  bears  about  a  foretaste  of  it  and 
so  partakes  of  it."  (Alford.)  There  can  be 
nothing  of  this,  nothing  of  painful  apprehen- 
sion in  love,  and  therefore  the  statement  in 
the  previous  part  of  the  verse  must  be  true. 
The  last  proposition  in  the  verse  is  added  (Je) 
as  an  inference  or  complement  of  the  words 
'  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear,'  and  is  slightly 
adversative. 

19.  We  (in  contrast  with  those  who  fear 
and  have  condemnation)  love  him.  In  the 
fullest,  absolute  sense.  The  word  him  in  the 
Common  Version  should  be  omitted,  as  it  is 
not  found  in  the  critical  text.  The  indicative 
agrees  best  with  the  emphatic  '  we.'  Because 


he  (God,  ver.  10)  first  loved  us.  In  eternity; 
and  so  sent  Christ  into  the  world  to  save  us. 
(ver.  9.)  His  love  to  us  preceded  our  love.  It 
was  the  cause  or  reason  of  ours,  which  implies 
in  the  apostle's  thought  that  it  furnished  the 
model  or  type  of  ours.  Our  love  is  a  thing 
rising  from  God's  love,  and  so  is  naturally  like 
it.  But  God's  love  went  out  to  men.  Ours 
therefore,  to  be  full  and  perfect,  must  (»er.  12) 
go  out  to  men,  even  our  brethren. 

20.  If  any  man  say  (at  any  time,  aorist), 
I  love  God,  and  hateth  [better,  hate.  The 
present  subjective  is  used  in  this  case  because 
the  hatred  is  a  continuous  feeling. — A.  H.] 
his  brother.  Hating  is  antithetical  to  loving. 
There  are  no  indiflferent  or  neutral  moral  con- 
ditions. In  not  loving,  there  is  the  condition 
of  hating  when  occasion  comes.  He  is  a 
liar.  He  not  only  professes  falsely,  but  denies 
the  very  nature  of  love.  Our  love  is  the  pro- 
duction (ver.  19)  of  God's  love,  of  ouc  kind 
with  it.  But  God's  love  goes  out  to  us  of  the 
brotherhood.  Therefore  ours  must  embrace 
the  same  company.  If  it  does  not,  it  is  not 
true  love  from  God.  For.  To  make  the 
falsity  of  the  claim  still  more  evident  by 
adducing  a  principle  often  illustrated  in  com- 
mon life.  He  that  loveth  not  his  brother. 
It  is  imyjlied  in  the  question  that  the  brother 
is  of  the  same  nature  and  family  with  God 
(5 :  1),  and  hence,  like  God,  is  a  true  object  of 
spiritual  love,  whether  he  be  seen  or  unseen. 
The  question  also  implicitly  recognizes  the 
well-known  advantage  of  immediate  sight  as 
a  means  of  kindling  love  for  a  lovable  object. 
For  example,  we  may  love  absent  Christians, 
but  how  is  that  love  enlivened  when  the  social 
meeting  brings  them  about  us.  The  sight  of 
the  ej'es  moves  the  heart.  (Act«i7:i6.)  If, 
then,  we  do  not  love  the  brother  whom  we  see, 
how  can  we,  though  one  may  claim  it,  love 
him  of  related  nature,  whom  we  have  not 
seen?  Can  any  one  tell?  This  is  additional 
to  the  consideration  that  it  is  the  nature  of 
divine  k.ve  to  love  the  brethren  as  well  as 
God;    and  if  one  is  loved,  the  other  is  by 


54 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  V. 


21  And  this  commandment  have  we  from  him,  That 
he  who  loveth  God  love  his  brother  also. 


from  him,  that  he  who  loveth  God  love  his  brother 
also. 


CHAPTEK  V. 


IXrHOSOEVER  beUeveth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is 
VV  born  of  God:  and  every  one  that  loveth  him 
that  begat  loveth  him  also  that  is  begotten  of  him. 

•I  By  ihis  we  know  that  we  love  the  children  of  God, 
■when  we  love  God,  and  keep  his  commandments. 


1  Whosoever  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  be- 
gotten of  God:  and  whosoever  loveth  him  that  begat 

2  loveth  him  also  that  is  begotten  of  him.    Hereby 
we  know  that  we  love  the  children  of  God,  when 


necessity  of  nature.  [It  ought  perhaps  to  be 
noticed  that  the  text  approved  by  Lachmann, 
Tisohendorf,  Tregelles,  Westcott  and  Hort 
has,  in  the  clause  before  the  last,  "not"  (oi) 
instead  of  'how'  (iris);  and  we  should  therefore 
read,  "Tor  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  can- 
not love  God."  The  manuscript  authority 
for  the  common  text  appears  to  be  inferior  to 
that  for  the  text  approved  by  these  eaitors.— 
A.  H.] 

21.  And  (besides  all  the  rest)  this  com- 
mandment (named  in  the  closing  part  of  the 
verse)  have  we  from  him.  That  is,  from 
God;  it  may  be  tlirough  Christ,  and  remem- 
bered by  John  as  coming  from  his  Master's 
lips.  It  is  not  the  commandment  embraced 
in  the  summary  of  the  law  (Matt.  22:  37-39),  as 
claimed  by  Alford,  for  that  relates  to  our 
neighbor,  our  fellow  men  in  general ;  while, 
as  we  liave  shown  again,  the  love-command 
of  Christ  relates  to  the  inner  circle  of  regen- 
erate men,  our  brethren  in  Christ.  That 
(Ipo)  introduces  not  only  the  purport  of  the 
commandment,  but  the  end  intended  to  be 
secured  by  it.  What  an  enforcement  of  love 
to  the  brethren!  The  one  loving  God  must 
love  his  brother  from  gratitude  (4:  n),  from 
the  divine  pattern  and  nature  of  love  itself 
(4:19),  from  a  principle  of  commoh  sense! 
(4:  20),  and  now  (ver.  20)  from  the  strong  com-  [ 
niand  which  expresses  directly  God's  will  in 
the  matter. 

Ch.  5:  1-5.  Faith  in  Jesus  as  the 
Christ,  the  New  Birth,  Brotherly 
Love,  Keeping  Gospel  Commands,  and 
Overcoming  the  World,  all  Vitally 
Connected,  and  Involved  in  each 
other. 

These  principles,  obediences,  victories,  be- 
long to  one  life,  as  much  so  as  the  branches 
of  one  family,  root  and  stalk,  flower  and  fruit. 
The  divine  anatomy,  the  heavenly  philoso- 
phy, of  the  new  life,  is  still  pursued.  There 
is  sweetness,  as  well  as  depth,  in  the  subject. 
It  makes  the  mind  work ;  it  also  makes  the 


heart  warm  and  glow.  Here  is  the  kind  of 
study  that  will  make  heaven  the  happier. 
Here  reasoning  and  knowledge  are  also  spirit- 
ual repast.  Blessed  are  they  whose  hearts 
kindle  with  such  themes. 

1.  Whosoever  believeth  (from  the  heart, 
from  the  centre  of  being,  with  a  faith  that  is 
a  part  of  one's  self)  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ 
(the  one  prophesied,  and  anointed  of  God)  is 
born  (or  begotteii)  of  God.  From,  or  out  cf 
(««),  God's  nature,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  so 
has  become  a  child  in  the  family.  The  apostle 
is  setting  forth  the  object  to  be  loved,  in  the 
light  of  its  true  nature.  And  every  one  that 
loveth  him  that  begat  (that  is  God),  loveth 
him  also  that  is  begotten  of  him — that  is, 
God's  child,  of  one  nature  with  him.  The 
apostle  lays  it  down  as  a  fact,  if  we  do  love  God, 
we  also  love  all  that  is  of  his  nature,  hence  we 
love  our  brethren  who  have  his  nature.  It  is 
an  argument  implied  in  4:  20,  but  here  put 
in  unmistakable  words,  that  we  may  certainly 
know  who  the  brother  to  be  loved  is,  and  the 
divine  reason  of  the  love  to  him.  Note  how 
much  is  believed  when  one  believes  that  Jesus 
is  the  Anointed  of  God,  by  tracing  out  the 
deep  truths  and  facts  involved  in  that  won- 
derful epithet  as  applied  to  him.  Note  also 
the  importance  of  this  verse  as  a  proof-text, 
bearing  upon  the  relation  of  regeneration  to 
faith.  Shining  is  the  action  of  the  sun;  be- 
lieving is  the  action  of  the  regenerate  heart. 
Where,  then,  you  see  the  action  of  belief, 
know  that  regeneration  is  already,  its  source. 

2.  By  (or  in)  this — namely,  in  loving  God 
and  doing  his  commands.  We  know  that 
we  love  the  children  of  God.  Those  be- 
gotten by  him,  the  same  spoken  of  in  the 
preceding  verse.  How  may  we  know  that  we 
love  those  who  have  partaken  of  the  divine 
nature.  We  may  have  a  kind  of  love  for 
Christians  from  various  motives,  as  that  they 
are  of  our  church,  sect,  or  party  ;  are  our 
friends,  or  are  naturally  amiable ;  but  we 
must  love  them  also,  and  chiefly,  because 
they  are  the  children  of  God  and  reflect  bis 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  JOHN. 


55 


3  For  this  is  the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  bis  com- 
mandments: and  his  coiiimandnieuts  are  not  grievous. 

4  For  whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometli  the 
world:  and  this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the 
world,  even  our  faith. 


3  we  love  God,  and  do  his  commandments.  For  this 
is  the  love  of  God,  that  we  ketfj)  his  command- 
ments:  and  his  commandments  are  not  grievous. 

4  For  whatsoever  is  begotten  of  God  overcometh  the 
world :  and  this  is  the  victory  that  hath  overcome  the 


nature,  and  for  this  reason  we  must  love  all 
Christians,  and  not  a  select  part.  But  how 
shall  wo  know  if  we  have  this  love  to  God's 
children  as  such?  When  (in  whatever  in- 
stance) we  love  God,  who  is  of  one  spirit- 
ual nature  with  his  children,  then  we  may 
know  that  our  love  is  spiritual  and  exercised 
for  spiritual  reasons.  In  4:  20  love  to  the 
brethren  proves  our  love  to  God.  Here  the 
converse  proposition  emerges.  The  final  rea- 
son of  loving  God's  people  is  in  God  himself, 
on  a  principle  that  leads  us  to  love  them  all. 
And  keep  (literally,  do,  n-ocifiei-,  not  rripianev) 
his  commandments.  Gospel  commands; 
obeyed  because  they  are  God's  commands. 
They  include  belief,  confession,  baptism,  ob- 
serving the  Supper,  meeting  together,  giving, 
enduring,  and  the  like.  He  who  does  these 
truly,  does  them  from  a  principle  of  obedi- 
ence ;  has  a  heart  to  obey.  This  man  may 
know  that  he  loves  the  brethren.  For  he  can 
discover  that  his  love  to  the  brethren,  which 
is  a  duty  and  an  obedience,  belongs  to  a  gen- 
eral principle  of  obedience  in  his  heart.  Re- 
gard for  one  command  is  regard  for  the  many. 
The  apostle  here,  as  elsewhere,  emphasizes 
the  principle  of  obedience  in  the  new  life. 
Our  love  is  not  all  sentiment,  but  has  the 
strong  vigor  of  duty  and  obedience.  The 
Christian  is  an  obej'ing  person  Or,  the  con- 
nection between  doing  the  commands  and 
loving  the  brethren  may  be  as  follows:  He 
who  loves  the  brethren,  loves  God  ;  and  if  he 
loves  God,  he  regards  his  will  or  commands, 
and  does  them.  So  that  the  doing  of  the  com- 
mands becomes  an  evidence  of  loving  the 
brethren.  This  may  indicate  more  truly 
John's  process  of  thought. 

3.  For  (yip)  explains  the  putting  to- 
gether of  the  two  preceding  things;  loving 
God  and  commandment-keeping.  This  is 
the  love  of  God.  This  is  its  nature;  its 
natural  working.  That  we  keep  his  com- 
mandments. To  love  another,  and  be  in- 
diflFerent  to  his  will,  is  an  impossibility,  in 
divine  or  human  relations.  So  vital  is  the 
connection,  that  it  may  be  said,  that  to  love  is 
to  obey.  Love  prompts  obedience,  as  the  life 
of  the  vine  takes  the  form  of  fruit.  Let  those 
16 


who  profess  the  love  of  God,  and  yet  are  care- 
less of  his  commands,  be  admonished.  They 
are  denying  the  very  instinct  of  the  love- 
nature.  The  conjunction  'that'  ('ii'a),  with 
its  verb,  anticipates  a  usage  of  the  modern 
Greek,  and  is  in  place  of.  the  infinitive.  See 
Godet,  "Com.  on  John,"  1:  27.  And  his 
commandments  are  not  grievous.  'Are 
not  grievous,'  heavy,  difficult,  to  those  within 
the  sphere  of  spiritual  life  and  divine  love,  as 
the  causal  bearing  of  the  next  ver.se  implies. 
See  Matt.  11:  30;  Gen.  29:  20.  Love  makes 
easy  and  blessed  those  commands  which  are 
crossing  to  the  old  nature.  In  the  doing  of 
them  difficulties  melt  away,  and  there  is  a 
sense  of  freedom  and  delight.  The  love  that 
prompts  to  the  command,  makes  the  soul 
work  easily  through  it.  (Pa.  ii9;  32,  «.)  The 
new  nature  is,  as  it  were,  its  own  spring  and 
help  in  all  that  is  required  of  it,  and  divine 
commands  are  fitted  to  it,  as  opportunity  is 
fitted  to  man. 

4.  For  introduces  a  reason  why  the  com- 
mands are  not  grievous ;  it  is  because  in  the 
new  birth  we  come  into  a  state  of  victory, 
actually  begun,  and  ideally  complete.  It  is 
assumed  that  any  difficulty  of  obedience  is 
caused  by  the  world — that  is,  bj'  worldly  feel- 
ing within,  or  worldly  opposition  without. 
The  lust  of  the  world  and  the  pride  of  life  in 
us  impart  a  burdensome  aspect  to  the  divine 
commands;  and  the  world  sometimes  opposes 
from  without,  bj'  tempting,  persecution,  or 
otherwise.  It  is  a  foe  to  spiritual  obedience. 
But  whatsoever  is  born  of  God,  overcomes 
the  world ;  goes  on  to  do  so.  It  has  a  conquer- 
ing principle  in  it,  and  hence  must  sweep  dif- 
ficulties out  of  the  way.  The  conflict  will  be 
great  sometimes,  and  the  world  is  not  sub- 
dued at  once;  nevertheless,  the  new  nature 
goes  on  to  victory,  and  overcomes  wholly  in 
the  end.  For  it  is  like  God.  Whatsoever  is 
born  (or,  has  been  begotten)  of  God.  "What- 
ever ;  whether  it  be  man,  or  man's  nature,  or 
anything  else.  "The  neuter  affirms  the  uni- 
versality of  the  idea  more  strongly  than  the 
masculine."  (Hackett.)  Compare  John  3: 
6;  6:  37,  39;  17:  2.  The  world.  "What- 
ever is  adverse  to  God's  Spirit.    So  the  de- 


56 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  V. 


5  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world,  but  he  that 
believeth  that  JeSus  is  the  Son  of  God? 

6  This  is  he  that  caiue  by  water  and  blood,  even  Jesus 
Christ;  not  by  water  only,  but  by  water  and  blood. 


5  world,  even  our  faith.    And  who  is  he   that  over- 
oometh  the  world,  but  he  that  believeth  that  Jesus 

6  is  the  Son  of  God?    Tliis  is  he  that  came  by  water 
and  blood,  eoen  Jesus  Christ:  not  i  with  the  water 


pravity  of  our  nature  is  a  part  of  the  world." 
(Calvin.)  And  this  is  the  victory  that 
overcometh  (or,  overcame).  The  indefinite 
past  (aorist)  tense  is  used.  The  victory  that 
has  overcome  in  each  instance  is  meant.  In 
every  such  instance,  the  victory  is  looked 
upon  as  accomplished,  already  finished,  with 
the  exertion  of  faith;  hence  the  past  tense. 
Our  faith.  "The  identifying  of  the  victor^' 
with  the  faith  which  gained  it  is  a  concise  and 
emphatic  way  of  linking  the  two  inseparably 
together,  so  that  wherever  there  is  faith  there 
is  victory."  (Alford.)  Faith  is  the  action 
or  means  by  which  the  new  nature  overcomes. 
And  why?  Because  it  appropriates  Christ 
the  Conquering  One,  and  identifies  us  with 
him.     We  thus  enter  into  his  strength,  which 

is  the  secret  of  victory.  (Johnlo:  5;  PhU.  4:  13; 
lJobD4:  4;  also  Rom.  7  :  24,25;  1  Cor.  15:  57.)      It    is,  then, 

faith  taking  Christ's  strength  that  conquers 
the  world,  and  ever3'  difficulty.  Once  when 
McCheyne  was  feeling  almost  overcome  b\' 
the  world  and  sin,  these  words  of  John  came 
to  him.  His  faith  realized  a  conquering  Christ. 
He  was  conscious  of  relief  and  victory,  and 
exclaimed,  "  A  wonderful  passage  !  " 

5.  This  verse  defines  the  overcoming  faith 
more  expressly,  and  declares  victory  impossi- 
ble without  it.  As  to  the  faith,  it  must  (1) 
centre  in  the  personal  Christ,  (2)  take  him 
for  what  he  is,  Son  of  God  and  Son  of  man 
in  one  true  abiding  person.  Then  does  he 
unite  himself  with  the  soul,  and  become  its  life 
and  its  victory.  The  new  nature,  then,  does  not 
overcome  by  inaction,  but  by  acting  through 
a  definite  faith.  In  the  action,  the  Spirit  is 
received  and  the  power  given.  But  our  verse 
also  declares  that  the  world  can  be  overcome 
in  no  other  way.  John  challenges  his  readers 
to  produce  a  single  instance  of  such  victory 
except  by  this  faith  in  Christ.  "Who  is  the 
man,"  he  says,  "where  is  he,  who  ever  saw 
him,  that  conquers  the  world  but  by  this  gos- 
pel faith"  ?  The  man  does  not  exist.  There 
is  no  other  principle  or  means  of  victory. 
One  might  as  well  think  of  rising  from  earth 
against  gravitation,  as  to  think  of  putting 
the  world  under  his  feet,  save  by  faith  in 


Christ.  Without  it,  the  man  is  a  pnrt  of  the 
very  world  he  would  overcome.  Bui  with  it, 
he  is  united  to  another  sphere,  and  is  lifted 
above  his  old  self,  where  he  can  meet  the 
world  at  an  advantage.  Two  grave  lessons 
in  reform  present  themselves:  (1)  One  may 
break  off  an  evil  habit,  or  association,  and 
3'et,  without  gospel  faith,  have  the  world 
reign  supreme  in  him.  (2)  Mere  resolutions, 
or  self-respect,  or  human  religion,  or  ascetic- 
ism, or  monastic  seclusion,  will  not  subdue 
the  world. 

6-12.  The  Witness  Without  and  With- 
in THAT  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Container  of  Life. 

The  overcoming  faith  of  the  former  section 
leads  the  apostle  here  to  confirm  to  his  readers 
the  object  of  this  faith  in  his  true  historical 
personalitj'  as  being  the  source  of  the  eternal 
life  whicii  faith  receives. 

6.  This  is  he  that  came  (in  his  earthly 
manifestation)  by  (8id,  tlu-ough)  water  and 
blood,  even  Jesus  Christ.  Both  true  man 
and  the  anointed,  prophesied,  one  of  God. 
Tiiis  is  he,  this  is  the  very  one,  who  came 
through  (by  way  of)  water  and  blood,  and  is 
witnessed  to,  in  his  true  life-power,  therebj-. 
There  has  been  boundless  dispute  as  to  whtit 
is  meant  hy  the  water  and  the  blood,  which, 
connected  with  our  Lord's  earthly  history, 
were  witnesses  of  him  as  the  Messiah  and  the 
Life.  As  to  the  water,  some  have  understood 
it  to  be  the  water  that  came  from  the  Saviour's 
pierced  side,  noted  in  John  19:  34;  some, 
the  baptism  enjoined  on  believers  in  the 
Great  Commission;  some,  the  word  of  God. 
(interpreting  the  term  in  John  3:  5  of  the 
same!);  some,  his  own  baptism  in  Jordan. 
And  there  are  other  explanations  that  need 
not  be  mentioned.  A  careful  weighing  of  the 
entire  section  and  its  purpose  leaves  hardly  a 
doubt  that  'water'  refers  to  our  Lord's  bap- 
tism, a  most  important  event  of  his  earthly 
manifestation,  and  pointing,  as  John  1:  31, 
33  shows,  to  Jesus  as  the  Possessor  and  Giver 
of  life,  and  hence  the  Christ.  John  calls  it 
by  the  name  of  '  water,'  because  it  is  the  ele- 
ment, rather  than  the  act,  of  baptism,  which 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  JOHN. 


57 


And  it  is  the  Spirit  that  beareth  witness,  because  the 
Spirit  is  truth. 

7  For  there  are  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven,  the 
Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost:  and  these 
three  are  one. 

8  And  there  are  three  that  bear  witness  in  earth,  the 
spirit,  and  the  water,  and  the  blood:  and  these  three 
agree  in  one. 

9  If  we  receive  the  witness  of  men,  the  witness  of 


only,  but  1  with  the  water  and  '  with  the  blood. 

7  And  it  is  the  Spirit  that  beareth  witness,  because  the 

8  Spirit  is  the  truth.     For  there  are  three  who  bear 
witni'ss,  the  Spirit,  and  the  water,  and  the  blood: 

9  and  the  three  agree  in  one.     If  we  receive  the  wit- 
ness of  men,  the  witness  of  God  is  greater :  for  the 


is  thought  of  as  the  witness,  The  '  water  ' 
of  his  baptism  symbolized  the  life  which  he 
had  without  measure,  or  the  Spirit  of  life  be- 
longing to  him,  and  hence  was  a  witne.«s  that 
he  was  truly  the  Son  of  God.  Is  not  this  the 
very  point  John  is  aiming  to  establish  on 
various  testimonies,  that  Christ  is  the  Foun- 
tain of  life?  See  ver.  11.  And  if  Fountain 
of  life,  he  is  Son  of  God.  And  'blood'  is 
another  witness.  By  the  'blood,'  not  the 
Lord's  Supper  (that  is  far-fetched,  without 
parallel,  and  hardly  pertinent  to  the  particu- 
lar point  being  proved),  but  the  death  of 
Christ  is  referred  to.  And  John  uses  the 
term  'blood'  because  it  is  not  the  dying  itself 
which  is  in  mind,  but  the  life  poured  out,  of 
which  blood  is  the  symbol.  See  Lev.  17: 
11,  14.  Christ's  blood  of  sacrifice  pointed  to 
the  life  he  gave  for  men,  and  hence  bore  wit- 
ness to  him  as  the  Possessor  and  Giver  of  life. 
Our  life  was  in  the  blood.  And  the  Author  of 
life  is  the  Christ.  Not  by  water  only,  but 
by  water  and  blood.  Literally,  Not  in 
(^iv)  the  loater  only,  bid  in  the  water  and  in 
the  blood.  The  article  'the'  and  preposition 
'in'  are  prefixed  to  'water'  and  'blood'  in 
each  case,  and  point  out  the  objects  as 
those  named  before;  also  as  weighty  and 
significant;  and  as  they  are  used  with  each 
term,  they  mark  the  independence  of  the 
water  and  blood  as  witnesses.  The  use  of 
'  in  '  shows  that  its  objects  are  now  recalled 
as  elements  in  which,  rather  than  means  by 
which,  Christ  manifested  himself.  The  gen- 
eral purpose  of  this  part  of  the  verse  is  to 
show  that  Christ  is  proved  by  his  witnesses  to 
be,  not  only  the  life  of  the  world,  but  such 
life  by  death.  And  it  is  the  Spirit  that 
beareth  Avitness.  The  Spirit,  given  in  con- 
nection with  Christ's  coming,  both  at  Pen- 
tecost and  as  a  permanent  blessing  in  the 
Church,  is  the  most  direct  witness  (Johnis:  26) 
to  the  same  fact  that  Christ  is  the  Source  and 
Giver  of  life,  and  therefore  the  Son  of  God. 
Because  the  Spirit  is  (the)  truth.    Not  the 


symbol  (as  water,  or  blood),  but  the  truth 
itself,  directly  uttering  God's  nature;  and  for 
that  reason  a  witness  to  be  at  once  acknowl- 
edged, and  speaking  directly  what  the  others 
utter  indirectly.  Before  taking  up  the  next 
verses,  observe  that  all  after  the  W'lrds  "  bear 
record"  (ixaprvpovvrt^)  in  ver.  7,  extending  to 
the  words  "the  Spirit"  (to  wceC/ia)  in  ver.  8, 
should  be  blotted  out  of  the  Epistle.  It  is 
found  in  no  New  Testament  manuscript  be- 
fore the  sixteenth  century.  No  determina- 
tion of  modern  criticism  is  more  certain  than 
the  spurious  character  of  this  part  of  the  text. 
And  it  seems  utterly  foreign  to  the  argument 
John  is  evolving.  AVe  take  up  the  genuine  part. 

7,  8.  For.  Reason  for  citing  the  Spirit  as 
a  witness  with  the  'water'  and  the  'blood.' 
There  are  three  that  bear  witness  in 
earth.  They  are  all  viewed  as  if  personal 
witnesses,  taking  that  character  from  the  lead- 
ing, interpreting  witness,  the  Holy  Spirit. 
And  they  are  three;  the  rule  for  testimony 
did  not  require  more.  (iCor.is:  i.)  The  Spirit, 
and  the  water,  and  the  blood.  By  the 
repeated  connectives  and  articles,  they  are 
made  as  distinct  as  possible.  The  Spirit  here 
leads.  His  testimony  is  the  more  direct  and 
immediate,  and  takes  up  into  itself  that  of  the 
other  two.  And  these  {the)  three  agree  in 
[the)  one.  The  one  thing,  the  one  purport. 
They  all  bear  in  one  direction,  speak  to  one 
truth,  that  Jesus  is  the  Source  of  life,  and 
hence  the  Son  of  God.  That  life,  life,  be- 
longs pre-eminently  to  him,  is  their  one  voice, 
their  one  evidence.  If  so,  he  is  the  one 
anointed  with  the  Spirit,  who  is  life;  and  if 
thus  Anointed,  he  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God.  And  the  water  of  baptism,  the  blood 
of  atonement,  and,  most  directly,  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  his  renewing  work,  are  now  still 
speaking  of  him  who  is  the  Life,  and  assert- 
ing his  divine  nature  before  as.  Must  we 
not  believe  with  the  highest  faith? 

9.  If  we  receive  (as  we  do;  'if  with  the 
indicative)  the  witness  of  men,  the  wit- 


58 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  V. 


God  is  greater :  for  this  is  the  witness  of  God  which  he 
hath  testified  of  his  Son. 

10  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the 
■witness  iu  himself:  he  that  believeth  not  (iod  hath 
made  him  a  liar:  because  he  believeth  not  the  record 
that  God  gave  of  his  Son. 

11  And  this  is  the  record,  that  God  hath  given  to  us 
eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  bis  Son. 


-witness  of  God  is  this,  that  he  hath  borne  witness 

10  concerning  his  Son.  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
of  God  hatli  the  witness  in  him :  he  that  believeth 
not  God  hath  made  him  a  liar;  because  he  hath  not 
believed  in  the  witness  that  God  hath  borne  con- 

11  eerning  his  Son.  And  the  witness  is  this,  that  God 
gave  unto  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son. 


ness   of  God   (whatever  it  is)   is  greater. 

And  therefore  (argument  from  the  less  to  the 
greater)  ought  even  more  readily  to  be  re- 
ceived. For  this  is  the  witness  of  God, 
etc.  Better,  as  in  the  Kevised  Version:  ^'For 
the  witness  of  God  is  (pre-eminently)  this." 
In  the  warmth  of  writing,  John  becomes  com- 
pressed, elliptical.  "And  why,"  he  siletitly 
says,  "do  I  speak  of  the  testimony  of  God? 
This  is  the  reason,  because  this  consentient 
testimony  of  the  water,  the  blood,  and  the 
Spirit,  is  nothing  short  of  being  the  testimony 
of  God  himself."  Which — rather,  that  (on 
not  v",  according  to  N  A  B  and  most  versions). 
He  hath  (an  admitted  and  well-known  fact) 
testified  of  (concerning)  his  Son.  That 
testimony  is  still  (perfect  tense)  extant,  and 
calls  for  the  implicit  faith  of  men. 

10.  He  that  believeth  on  (literally,  into; 
the  faith  reaching  into  and  lodging  in  a  per- 
sonal object)  the  Son  of  God  hath  the 
witness  in  himself.  The  testimony  of  God 
concerning  his  Son,  that  he  is  his  true  Son, 
and  the  Giver  of  life.  By  believing  in  Christ, 
this  divine  testimony  becomes  a  part  of  one's 
self,  a  self-evidencing  experience.  The  be- 
liever has  a  joyful,  firm  conviction,  from 
which  nothing  can  move  him,  that  Christ  is 
a  living  realitj',  the  very  Fountain  of  life. 
He  that  believes  has  the  testimonj'  in  himself; 
he  that  believes  not,  has  the  testimony,  but  it 
is  outside  of  him.  The  passage  before  us  has 
been  regarded  as  parallel  with  Rom.  8:  16. 
The  two  passages  are  alike  in  this,  that  they 
both  speak  of  an  inward  witness  of  the  Spirit 
in  experience;  but  they  differ  in  this,  that  in 
the  one  case,  the  Spirit  testifies  and  assures  of 
our  own  sonship,  while  in  the  other  case  he 
testifies  and  assures  of  Christ's  Sonship.  Both 
passages  are,  at  their  root,  related  to  Psalm 
25 :  14.  It  is  the  experimental  knowledge  of 
spiritual  facts  possessed  by  the  regenerate. 
He  that  believeth  not  (tij),  a  supposed  case) 
God  (his  word,  or  testimony)  hath  made 
(and  his  abiding  unbelief  continues  to  make; 
perfect  tense)  him  a  liar.  If  God  were  a 
liar,  he  could  not  treat  his  testimony  differ- 


ently. He  who  receives  not  God's  testimony 
made  to  the  reason  of  all,  by  the  water,  the 
blood,  and  the  Spirit,  treats  him  just  as  if  he 
could  not  be  believed.  And  unbelief  is  a  seri- 
ous responsibility,  when  it  is  tantamount  to 
treating  God  as  a  liar.  John,  in  his  negative 
putting  of  the  subject,  brings  out  the  impres- 
sive fact  that  the  unbeliever  not  only  fails  of 
the  inward  witness  of  the  truth,  but  positively 
arraigns  the  veracity  of  God.  Because,  etc, 
introduces  a  further  statement,  confirming 
the  appalling  truth  just  uttered.  0  unbelief, 
boasting  thy  rationalisni,  thou  art  the  most 
irrational !  The  least  conscious  of  fault,  or 
sin,  thou  art  the  most  sinful !  Thou  puttest 
thy  God  with  liars,  and  his  gospel  with 
fables!  [On  the  change  of  negative  (to  oi) 
in  this  clause  Winer  remarks:  "In  the  last 
words,  the  apostle  passes  quickly  from  the 
mere  conception  to  the  fact;  for  there  were 
such  in  realitj',  and  the  apostle  now  brings  to 
mind  an  actual  unbeliever."  See  §  59,  1. — 
A.  H.] 

11.  And  this  is  the  record  (testijnony, 
witness).  The  contents,  purport,  of  the  testi- 
mony of  God,  through  the  water,  tlie  blood, 
and  the  Spirit.  That  (namely,  that)  God 
hath  given  (literally,  gave)  to  us  eternal 
life.  The  water,  pointing  to  the  water  of 
life,  the  blood  signifying  the  vital  principle, 
the  Spirit,  who  was  the  very  element  of  life 
itself,  all  .said,  and  continue  to  say,  that  God 
gave  to  us,  who  believe  and  when  we  believed, 
the  true,  the  eternal,  life.  "This  eternal  life 
is  not  directly  the  state  of  future  blessedness, 
described  as  already  given  because  it  is  cer- 
tain, but  the  spiritual  life  in  the  soul  com- 
menced alreadj'  on  earth,  and  destined  to 
survive  the  death  of  the  body  and  be  eternal. 
True  believers  enter  upon  the  eternal  life  in 
this  world."  (Hackett.)  For  fuller  definition 
of  eternal  life,  see  note  on  2:25.  Observe 
that  this  life  is  something  ^ given';  in  the 
fullest  sense  a  grace.  We  do  not  earn  it,  or 
deserve  it;  we  only  receive  it,  a  pure  gift. 
And  this  life  is  (abidingly)  in  his  Son. 
We  must  regard  this  statement  as  a  part  of 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  JOHN. 


59 


12  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life  ;  and  he  that  hath 
not  the  Son  of  (jod  hath  not  life. 

13  These  things  have  1  written  unto  you  that  believe 
on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  that  ye  may  know  that 
ye  have  eternal  life,  and  that  ye  may  believe  on  the 
name  of  the  Son  of  God. 

14  And  this  is  the  confidence  that  we  have  in  him, 


12  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  the  life;  he  that  hath 
not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  the  life. 

13  'J'hese  things  have  I  written  unto  you,  that  ye  may 
know  that  ye  have  eternal  life,  even  unto  you  that 

14  believe  on  the  name  of  the  Sou  of  God.     And  this  ia 
the  boldness  which  we  have  toward  him,  that,  if  we 


the  unfolding  or  purport  of  the  testimony 
(fiapTupi'a),  and  co-ordinate  in  construction  v/itii 
the  hitter  part  of  the  immediately  preceding 
sentence.  The  water,  the  blood,  and  the 
Spirit  declared  not  only  the  gift  of  life,  but 
also  that  he  who  came  by  way  of  them  (ver. e) 
had  it  absolutely  and  fully  in  himself. 
Christ  is  the  eternal  vessel  of  the  living  water. 
It  is  all  in  him.  It  is  not  in  angels,  or  in 
systems,  but  in  the  Son.  Only  in  and  through 
him    is   life   communicated  to   a  lost  world. 

(4:9;  John  10:  10.) 

12.  If  eternal  life  is  conveyed  to  the  world 
as  a  deposit  in  Christ,  then  the  double  state- 
ment of  this  verse  is  the  most  obvious  infer- 
ence. If  Christ  and  the  life  are  inseparable, 
we  cannot  have  one  without  the  other.  He 
that  hath  the  Son  hath  {the  )  life  ;  and  he 
that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not 
{the)  life.  The  Revised  Version  properly 
translates  the  article  before  'life'  :  'Hath  not 
the  life.'  And  yet  he  has  natural  life,  prov- 
ing wholly  another  sort  of  life  to  be  meant  by 
John.  It  is  only  as  we  touch  Christ  that  we 
live.  Our  regeneration  is  in  connection  with 
Christ.  (Eph.2:io.)  To  live  is  Christ 'Gai.  2:  20 
Phil. 1:21);  and  Christ  is  our  life  (coi.s:  4);  and 
we  have  life  more  abundantly  as  we  have 
more  of  Christ.  He  who  rejects  Christ,  of 
necessity  cuts  himself  off  from  the  true  life. 

13-17.  Spiritual  Confidence  and  Ef- 
fectual Praying  the  Mark  and  Privi- 
lege OF  New  Life. 

13.  'these  things.  Those  especially  in  the 
preceding  section,  relating  to  the  fontal  life 
and  divine  Sonshipof  Christ,  which  are  won- 
derfully adapted  to  deepen  the  faith  and  in- 
crease the  confidence  of  Christians.  Have  I 
written — literally,  /  wrote.  Aorist.  Imag- 
ine a  pause,  or  interruption,  between  the  pre- 
ceding section  and  the  present  one,  and  the 
tense  becomes  natural.  Unto  you.  The 
Christian  circle,  for  which  John  wrote.  That 
believe  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God. 
These  words,  given  in  the  Common  Version, 
are  omitted  in  the  Revised  and  Bible  XJni'  n 
Versions,  as  they  do  not  belong  to  the  pure 
text.    That  {Iva)  ye  may  know  (the  certainty 


of  the  fact)  that  ye  have  (as  a  present  abid- 
ing possession)  eternal  life.  "What  the  apos- 
tle had  just  written  concerning  this  life,  and 
its  testimony  through  the  water,  the  blood, 
and  the  Spirit,  was  calculated  to  deei^en  and 
certify  this  very  knowledge.  It  is  the  privi- 
lege of  Christians  to  'know'  that  they  have 
eternal  life — are  converted,  and  saved.  With 
many  the  consciousness  is  as  assured  as  that 
of  existence  itself.  Our  Ejiistle  attaches  much 
importance  to  such  knowledge.  Our  present 
verse  indicates  a  way  to  this  full  assurance. 
We  get  into  life  by  believing  in  Ciirist;  but 
we  know  that  we  are  in  this  life  by  enlarging 
our  view  of  Christ  as  the  great  and  only 
Fountain  of  our  life.  To  the  true  Christian 
the  fuller  view  of  the  doctrine  of  life  is  a 
means  of  knowing  that  he  has  the  life.  And 
that  ye  may  believe — literally,  even  to  you 
that  believe.  Defining  'to  you'  in  the  early 
part  of  the  verse,  and  showing  that  believers 
are  the  persons  whose  privilege  the  writer  is 
setting  forth.  Awkward  as  this  delayed  in- 
sertion of  the  defining  clause  may  seem, 
nevertheless  the  critical  text  compels  its  ap- 
proval in  place  of  the  'and  that  ye  may 
believe'  of  the  Common  Version.  On  {into, 
eis;  see  on  ver.  10)  the  name  of  the  Son 
of  God — that  is,  believing  Christ,  as  he  is  re- 
vealed under  the  name  of  'the  Son  of  God.' 
See  John  20:  31. 

14.  And  this  is  the  confidence  (or  bold- 
ness). Springing  from  the  sense  of  union 
with  Christ  the  life,  and  from  the  certain 
knowledge  that  we  have  eternal  life.  This 
boldness,  or  'confidence,'  is  the  same  in  nature 
with  the  boldness  spoken  of  in  2:  28;  3:  21;  4: 
17.  See  Notes.  That  we  have  in  (towards) 
him.  Towards  God,  as  in  3:  21,  where 
also  holy  boldness  before  God  and  effectual 
praying  are  connected,  as  indeed  in  Heb.  4: 
16.  In  the  full  consciousness  of  spiritual  life 
(ver.  13)  there  is  no  feeling  of  shame  or  con- 
demnation, and  hence  the  fullest  freedom  in 
God's  presence.  And  in  that  felt  freedom 
there  is  ready  asking.  Besides,  in  this  com- 
plete spiritual  life,  God  and  his  will  are  much 
in  the  soul,  so  that  our  will  in  what  we  ask  is 


60 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  V. 


that,  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  his  will,  he 
heareth  us : 

15  And  if  we  know  that  he  hear  us,  whatsoever  we 
ask,  we  know  that  we  have  the  petitions  that  we  de- 
sired of  hiru. 

16  if  auy  man  see  his  brother  sin  a  sin  which  is  not 
unto  death,  he  shall  ask,  and  he  shall  give  him  life  for 


ask  any  thing  according  to  his  will,  he  heareth  us: 

15  andif  we  know  that  he  heareth  us  whatsoever  we  ask, 
we  know  that  we  have  the  petitions  which  we  have 

16  asked  of  him.     If  any  man  see  his  brother  sinning  a 
sin  not  unto  death,  I'he  shall  ask,  and  God  will  give 


1  Or,  he  »haU  aek  and  ihall  give  him  life,  even  to  tkem,  dc. 


likely  to  be  his  will.  That,  if  we  ask  any- 
thing (temporal  or  spiritual,  for  ourselves  or 
for  others)  according  to  his  will  (adjunct 
of  the  asking,  as  the  Greek  shows),  he  hear- 
eth us.  'Us'  in  the  genitive  suggests  that 
the  hearing  is  with  sympathy,  and  is  atfected 
with  a  moving  influence  from  the  Christian 
or  his  cause.  But  what  is  the  relation  of  this 
dependent  sentence  to  the  boldness  before 
God,  just  spoken  of?  The  answer  may  be 
given  by  the  following  paraphrase:  "And 
this  is  the  kind  of  boldness,  the  degree  of 
boldness,  which,  in  the  full  realization  of 
eternal  life,  we  have  before  God,  that  if  we 
ask  anything,"  etc.  It  is  that  kind  of  bold- 
ness that  is  accompanied  with  effectual  pray- 
ing, and  is  proved  by  it.  It  is  not  exactly 
confidence  that  we  shall  be  heard,  but  a  free 
boldnesss  of  such  a  kind  that  it  meets  accept- 
ance before  God,  and  makes  this  acceptance  a 
thing  to  be  expected.  Compare  once  more 
3:  21;  Heb.  4:  16.  When  one  is  full  of  spir- 
itual life  and  filial  boldness,  his  will  in  pray- 
ing is  likely  to  be  according  to  God's  will,  so 
that  hii  praying  is  as  welcome  as  his  person. 
When  one  prays  in  full  union  with  Christ,  it 
is  also  Christ  praj'ing;  it  is  praying  in  his 
name,  and  the  prayer  is  accepted.  (John  15 .-  -,  is.) 
It  is  the  verj'^  will  of  God.  So  when  the 
Spirit  prays  in  us,  it  is  the  will  of  God.  Evi- 
dently a  great  spiritual  life  is  at  the  founda- 
tion of  efficacious  prayer.  James  5:  16  in- 
volves the  same  principle.  "To  repeat  a  holy 
name  may  be  an  easy  thing;  but  to  attain 
that  holy  abiding,  in  which  there  is  such  a 
perfect  community  of  life  with  our  true  vine, 
that  it  is  as  impossible  for  us  to  ask  amiss  as 
for  the  branch  of  the  fig-tree  to  put  forth  the 
buds  and  flower  of  the  thorn,  this  is  to  reach 
the  very  ideal  of  discipleship."  (A.  J.  Gor- 
don, D.  D.) 

15.  And  if  we  know  (as  we  do,  so  asking) 
that  he  hear  {heareth)  us  (as  to)  whatso- 
ever we  ask,  we  know  that  we  have  the 
petitions  (things  prayed  for)  that  we  de- 
sired of  him  (or  have  asked  from  him).     If 


God  gives  us  favoring  audience,  he  goes  fur- 
ther, and  gives  us  our  requests.  As  certain  as 
it  is  that  he  hears,  so  certain  is  it  that  he  be- 
stows. And  note  the  tenses.  "VVe  now  have 
what  we  have  asked  for.  "The  perfect 
reaches  through  all  our  past  pra3-ers  to  this 
moment.  All  these  we  have;  notoneofthem 
is  lost.  He  has  heard,  he  has  answered  them 
all.  We  know  that  we  have  them  in  the  tru- 
est sense,  in  possession."  (Alford.)  The  pro- 
phetic word  of  Isa.  65:  24  (compare  Dan.  9: 
21)  is  fulfilled. 

16.  If  any  man  see  his  brother  sin  a  sin 
which  is  not  unto  death.  The  'any  man' 
is  a  praying  person,  a  Christian.  The  'broth- 
er,' according  to  the  analogy  of  our  Epistle,  is 
a  brother  in  the  kinship  of  the  new  birth.  In 
the  case  .supposed,  the  intercessor  must  'see,' 
be  personally  cognizant,  of  the  brt)ther's 
oflfeuse,  so  as  to  know  its  true  nature ;  it  is 
not  enough  to  learn  of  it  through  others. 
And  he  must  see  the  brother  actutilly  sinning 
(present  participle)  the  sin,  or  in  the  guilt  of 
it  (for  one  still  does  a  sin  till  he  repents  of  it). 
And  the  sin  must  not  be  unto  death  I  it  must 
not  be  the  sin  to  which  death  is  remedilessly 
affixed,  which  hath  never  forgiveness.  What 
this  sin  is  will  be  noticed  farther  on.  Having 
spoken  of  the  efficac5'  of  Christian  prayer  in 
general,  as  the  proper  fruit  of  the  life  of  God 
in  us,  the  apostle  proceeds  to  speak, of  the 
efficacy  in  a  particular  direction — namely, 
when  it  takes  the  form  of  intercession  in  be- 
half of  other  brethren,  others  particularly 
who  have  lapsed  into  sin.  Here  is  a  iiriestly 
office  of  the  Christian,  analogous  to  that  of 
Chri.et  in  the  Gospel  of  John,  chapter  17. 
Paul  testifies  how  much  he  himself  bore  this 
fruit  of  intercession,  and  be  besought  the  in- 
tercession of  the  churches  for  himself.  Jona- 
than Edwards  begged  such  help,  even  from 
brethren  fiir  away.  The  extraordinary  reli- 
gious interest  in  Scotland,  in  1840,  seems  to  have 
been  begun  and  sustained  largeU'  by  mutually 
intercessory-  praying  among  the  laborers.  He 
shall  ask.     He  is  bound  to  do  it,  and  he  will 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  JOHN. 


61 


them  that  sin   not  unto  death.    There  is  a  sin  unto 
death  :  I  do  not  say  ihat  he  shall  pray  for  it. 

17  All  unrighteousness  is  sin;  and  there  is  a  sin  not 
unto  death. 


hiiu  life  for  them  that  sin  ncjt  unto  death.    There  is 
la  sin  unto  death :  not  concerning  this  do  I  say  that 
17  he   should   make   request.    All    iinrichteousness  ia 
sin :  and  tliere  is  '  a  sin  nut  unto  deatli. 


do  it.  In  this  asking  (aiTtu,  not  ipairaio),  as  in 
ver.  14,  15,  there  is  the  meaning  of  beseeching, 
the  most  earnest  entreaty,  as  of  one  who  feels 
his  utter  dependence.  And  he  shall  give 
him  life.  The  intercessor,  receiving  divine 
answer,  does  this — this  marvelous  thing — does 
it  for  the  sinning  brother.  By  his  intercession 
he  brings  to  the  sinning  one  the  grace  of  re- 
pentance and  confession,  the  ble.*sing  of  par- 
don, and  the  fresh  restored  manifestation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  life.  The  intercessor  is 
said  to  give  all  this,  because  his  petition  has 
caused  the  blessing  to  come.  The  praying 
man  is  actually  a  beneficent  force  to  his  erring 
brother;  under  God,  a  fountain  of  good  to 
him.  (That  is)  for  them  that  sin  not  (m, 
subjective,  implies  a  judgment  of  the  inter- 
cessor in  the  matter)  unto  death.  Repeats, 
for  sake  of  preventing  mistake,  the  definition 
of  the  party  or  parties  for  whom  the  interces- 
sor's olRce  is  effectual,  to  whom  the  fresh  life 
may  be  given.  The  limit  is  evidently  an 
important  one  in  John's  view.  That  sin  unto 
death  frnvns  down  upon  him,  denying  all 
hope,  a'ld  he  must  except  it  again  and  again. 
There  is  a  sin  unto  death.  There  is,  then, 
this  exception  to  effectual  praying.  An  im- 
portant exception,  as  the  repeated  notice  of 
the  Flatter  shows.  What  is  this  sin  which 
resulis  in  certain  and  hopeless  death?  which 
is  absolutely  unto  death  ?  It  is  a  sin  that  John 
has  terribly  marked  again  and  again  in  our 
Epistle,  that  of  willfully  rejecting  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  to  the  true  nature 
anil  Messiahship  of  Jesus,  the  denying  of 
Christ  in  his  true  nature.  That  it  is  a  sin 
w'lich  connects  itself  with  one's  treatment  of 
C  irist  is  a  fair  inference  from  the  doctrine 
o'  ver.  12.  That  it  was  the  particular  sin  we 
hxve  pointed  out  would  naturally  be  suggested 
t  )  the  minds  of  the  readers  of  the  whole  Epis- 
t.e.  The  unpardonable  sin  of  Matt.  12:  o2; 
Tlark  3:  29,  30;  Heb.  6:  4,  6;  10:  29,  is  of 
the  same  tenor  and  character  essentially;  the 
cloing  of  despite  to  the  light  of  the  Spirit  as 
'-0  Christ.  Finally,  if  to  confess  Christ  with 
nouth  and  heart  is  salvation  unto  life  (Rom. 
0:10),  so  denial  of  Christ  with  mouth  and 


heart,  as  the  antichrists  did,  must  be  the  sin 
that  is  unto  remediless  death.  It  denies,  and 
so  far  as  it  can  do,  annihilates  the  only  means 
of  life,  and  therefore  tnust  be  unto  death. 
And  to  pray  for  its  remi.ssion  is  to  pray  for 
an  impossibility:  it  is  to  pray  against  an  abso- 
lute decree.  (Mark 3:  29.)  It  is  to  pray  for  a 
salvation  outside  of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 
In  fact,  there  can  be  no  spirit  of  prayer  in 
that  behalf.  [It  is  noteworthy  that  John 
here  uses  the  weaker  word,  "to  ask"  (epwraco), 
and  not  the  stronger,  "to  beseech"  "  claim" 
(aireu))  :  " I  do  not  Say  that  he  should  ask" 
(much  less,  entreat)  "concerning  that  sin." 
See  Huther  on  the  passage.  The  Revised  Ver- 
sion translates  very  exactly,  following  the  or- 
der of  the  original  text:  Not  concerniiig  this 
do  I  say  that  he  should  make  request. — A.  H.] 
The  'death,'  of  course,  would  be  understood 
as  the  state  that  is  destitute  of  the  new  life, 
which  John  has  so  fully  marked  in  the  con- 
text. 

17.  All  (or,  every)  unrighteonsness  is 
sin.  The  apostle  is  speaking  of  definite  acts, 
noticeable  by  the  intercessor,  and  pardonable 
or  unpardonable.  Because  an  offense  in  not 
unto  death  and  the  person  committing  it  may 
be  prayed  for  with  hope  of  life,  it  must  not 
therefore  be  concluded  that  it  is  not  properly 
a  sin,  violating  God's  law,  and  offensive  to 
holy  nature.  (•'':•*•)  It  is  a  sin,  though  it  may 
be  called  only  rmrighteousness,  and  therefore 
needs  forgiveness.  It  is  a  sin,  a  grievous  sin, 
whether  committed  by|believer  or  unbeliever. 
And  there  is  a  sin  not  (oti,  marking  an  ob- 
jective fact,  not  dependent  on  any  one's 
judgment)  unto  death.  Though  it  be  a  sin, 
a  violation  of  God's  holy  law,  yet  it  may  be 
one  that  God  can  forgive,  because  it  does  not 
do  utter  despite  to  the  Spirit  of  Grace,  does 
not  deny  the  very  nature  of  Christ. 

18-21.  The  Sinless  Nature,  the  High 
Relation,  the  Spiritual  Knowledge, 
AND  the  Divine  Union  oe  the  Children 
OF  God.  The  Standing  of  such  a  People 
IS  Inconsistent  "with  Every  Kind  of 
Idolatry. 

In  this  closing  portion  of  his  Epistle,  the 


62 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  V. 


18  We  know  that  whosoever  is  born  of  God  sinneth 
not ;  but  he  that  is  begotten  of  God  keepeth  himself, 
and  that  wicked  one  toucheth  him  not. 


18  We  know  that  wliosoever  is  begotten  of  God  sin- 
neth not;  but  he  that  was  begotten  of  God  keepeth 

19  1  himself,  and  the  evil  one  toucheth  him  not.     We 


Some  aaotent  manuscripts  read  Aim. 


apostle  briefly  resumes  or  summarizes  the 
chief  facts  belonging  to  the  new  life.  The 
great  matter  to  which  he  would  conduct  his 
readers  in  all  this  deep  writing  is  the  realiza- 
tion of  their  union  with  God  in  Christ,  and 
the  holiness  it  involves.  It  is  fitting,  there- 
fore, that  some  of  the  last  words  of  his  letter 
of  love  and  righteousness  should  touch  this 
cardinal  truth  of  the  Christian  position. 

18  We  know  (as  a  fact)  that  whosoever 
Is  born  (or,  begotten)  of  {«,  out  of)  God 
sinneth  not.  Does  not  sin  as  the  law,  ten- 
dency, ideal,  of  his  regenerate  nature.  He 
belongs  to  the  sphere  of  light.  Sinning  is  not 
the  on-going  and  ultimate  of  his  nature  ;  but 
something  temporary,  to  be  dropped  away  in 
the  fulfilling  of  the  new  nature.  The  charac- 
terizing, fulfilling,  conquering,  nature  of  the 
Christian  is  holy  as  God  is  holy.  For  further 
explanation  of  this  case,  see  especially  notes 
on  3 :  6,  9.  The  doctrine  is  inserted  again 
here,  not  only  as  a  chief  and  concluding  point 
in  the  Johannean  faith,  but  to  save  his  readers 
from  inferring  that  because  a  brother  sins 
(ver.  16),  and  needs  brotherly  intercession,  he 
therefore  is  under  a  law  and  continuous  ten- 
denc}'  to  sin,  or  his  new  and  ultimate  nature 
is  otherwise  than  perfectly  holy  and  utterly 
apart  from  Satan.  It  is  a  notable  illustration 
of  the  complemental  and  mutually  balancing 
relation  of  parts  of  Scripture,  to  be  remem- 
bered by  interpreter,  student,  and  teacher. 
But  he  that  is  (rras)  begotten  of  God 
keepeth  himself.  The  Kevised  Version 
gives  not  'himself  but  "him"  as  the  critical 
text  requires.  And  as  far  as  the  structure  of 
the  sentence  is  concerned,  the  most  natural 
reference  of  'him  '  is  to  God  ;  and  the  thought 
is,  that  the  regenerate  man  k6eps  God — that  is, 
preserves  him  in  vital  union  with  himself. 
The  new  nature  holds  God  in  itself,  and,  be- 
ginning in  union  with  him,  abides  one  with 
him.  Here  is  the  true  secret  and  reason  of 
the  "perseverance  of  the  saints";  and  the 
assertion  of  the  fact  is  bej^ond  gainsaj-ing. 
Alford  makes  'him  '  refer  to  the  man  who  is 
begotten  again,  and,  in  order  to  this,  con- 
strues the  first  part  of  the  sentence  as  one  of 
those  not  unusual  cases  in  which  the  words  do 


not  follow  each  other  in  a  strictly  grammati- 
cal order.  He  forcibly  inserts  the  word  it 
(the  divine  birth  pointed  at  in  the  preceding 
verbal  expression)  before  the  word  "keep- 
eth." [So  remarkable  is  the  thought  found 
in  this  clause  by  the  author  that  a  few  words 
may  properly  be  added.  We  are  sometimes 
said  to  apprehend  (or  lay  hold  of)  God  spirit- 
ually, and  there  seems  to  be  as  good  reason 
for  saying  that  we  retain  him  in  the  grasp  of 
our  spiritual  affection.  So  Jacob  said  to  the 
angel  of  God  who  wrestled  with  him,  "I  will 
not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."  (Gea. 
32:26.)  In  so  far  as  manuscripts  and  early 
versions  are  concerned,  the  weight  of  evidence 
(owing  especially  to  the  authority  of  A'  B)  is 
in  favor  of  "/tim,"  rather  than  'himself.' 
Besides,  if  the  original  text  was  'himself,'  we 
cannot  account  for  the  change  to  "him" — a 
far  more  difficult  reading — while  a  change 
from  the  latter  to  the  former  would  be  very 
likely  to  occur.  Scrivener  appears  to  favor 
the  reading  "him"  (which  is  given  by  Tre- 
gelles,  Tischendorf,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
the  Revised  Version),  but  assumes  that  if 
"him"  is  the  true  reading,  "he  that  was  begot- 
ten of  God"  "can  be  none  other  thin  the 
Only-begotten  Son  who  keepeth  the  sons  of 
God,  agreeably  to  his  own  declaration  in  John 
17:  12."  Yet  he  admits  that  "we  have  no  )ther 
example  in  Scripture  or  ecclesiastical  vrriters 
of  'he  that  was  begotten'  (6  •yecorjJeis)  biing 
used  absolutely  for  the  Divine  Son,  though 
the  contrast  here  suggested  is  somewhat  co  in- 
tenanced  bj'  that  between  'he  that  santti- 
fieth  '  and  'they  that  are  sanctified'  in  Hcb. 
3:  11."  He  might  have  referred  to  the  Nice  le 
Creed  as  using  almost  exactly  the  form  if 
expression  found  here — namely,  "he  thatw;  s 
begotten  of  the  Father"  {rhv  in  toO  narpoi  vefcr- 
SeVTa)  instead  of  "  he  that  was  begotten  of  God 
{byivvriefli  iit  toC  9eoi)). — A.  H.]  And  that  (lit- 
erally, the)  wicked  one  (Satan,  2:  13;  8:  12. 
Matt.  13:  19;  Luke  8  ;  12;  Eph.  6  :  16)  touch- 
eth him  not.  '  Him  '  may  refer  to  God,  with 
the  meaning  that  if  Satan  does  not  touch  God, 
he  does  not  touch  him  who  receives  God's 
nature  in  the  new  birth  ;  or,  it  may  refer 
directly  to  the  child  of  the  new  birth,  who 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  JOHN. 


63 


19  And  we  know  that  we  are  of  God,  and  the  whole 
■world  lieth  in  wickedness. 

20  And  we  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,  and 
hath  given  us  an  understanding,  that  we  may  know  him 
that  is  true ;  and  we  are  in  him  that  is  true,  even  in  his 
Son  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  true  God,  and  eternal 
life. 


know  that  we  are  of  God,  and  the  whole  world 
20  lieth  in  the  evil  one.  And  we  know  that  the  .Son  of 
God  IB  come,  and  hath  given  us  an  understanding, 
that  we  know  him  that  is  true,  and  we  are  in  him 
that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.    This  is 


keeps  God.  Satan,  who  is  the  evil  one  par 
eminence,  may  tempt  and  beset  and  disturb 
the  Christian,  but  lie  cannot  hurt  or  even 
touch  him  in  his  vital  part.  He  has  no  power 
over  the  new  nature.  (John  u:  so,)  [The  latter 
view  is  better  than  the  former,  and  is  some- 
what against  the  reference  of  'him'  in  the 
preceding  clause  to  God. — A.  H.] 

19.  And  is  to  be  omitted.  We  know  that 
we  are  of  God.  Born  of  him,  and  hence 
bearing  his  spiritual  nature.  A  niatcer  of 
certain  and  blessed  knowledge  through  pre- 
vious teaching  (*:4, 6),  and  through  the  wit- 
nessing Spirit.  (Rom.8:i6.)  "  Never  rest  till  you 
can  say  this,"  said  McCheyne.  In  this  verse 
the  apostle  applies  to  himself  and  his  readers 
the  general  truth  asserted  in  the  foregoing 
verse,  and  sharply  contrasts  their  standing 
with  that  of  the  unregenerate  world,  so  that 
there  is  evident  progress  in  the  thought,  and 
growth  in  the  strength  of  it.  And  the  whole 
world  (in  its  natural  unregenerate  state) 
lieth  in  wickedness  (rather,  the  wicked 
one).  Not  merelj'  is  touched  by  the  wicked 
one  (ver.  18),  but  even  '  lieth  in '  the  wicked  one, 
in  entire  union  with  him  ;  willingly,  unresist- 
ingly given  up  to  him,  completely  within  his 
sphere.  That  the  wicked  one  here  is  not  an 
abstract  principle  of  evil,  but  a  very  person,  is 
indicated  by  the  contrasted  personal  God,  by 
the  unmistakable  termination  of  the  nomi- 
native form  in  the  preceding  verse,  by  the 
analogy  of  John's  diction,  and  by  the  refer- 
ences adduced  under  ver.  18. 

20.  And — (&i\  here  as  a  concluding,  sum- 
ming up,  particle,  as  in  1  Thess.  5:  23;  2 
Thess.  3:  16;  Heb.  13:  20)  we  know.  The 
same  'we  know'  (oISaAiEc),  beginning  each  of 
verses  18,  19,  20,  gives  thein  "almost  the 
appearance  of  a  confession  or  sutnmary 
of  faith."  (Hackett.)  Alford  calls  them 
"three  solemn  maxims."  That  the  Son  of 
God  is  come.  Into  the  world,  in  the  flesh; 
literally  so.  Our  Epistle  has  again  and  again 
emphasized  this  cardinal  matter,  especially 
against  the  perversion  of  the  antichrists;  and 
it  was   a  comforting,  satisfying   fact,  at  the 


very  basis  of  atonement  and  redemption,  and 
the  consternation  of  him  (ver.  19)  who  held  the 
world  in  his  wickedness.  And  hath  given 
us  an  understanding.  This  'understand- 
ing' (Stdi/oia)  is  "the  divinely  emp.iwered 
inner  sense,"  or  spiritual  faculty,  which  is 
given  us  by  Christ,  in  the  etfectual  action  of 
his  Spirit  on  our  minds,  making  us  capable  of 
spiritual  knowledge,  and  in  order  to  {'iva)  it, 
as  the  following  clause  shows.  For  the  same 
doctrine,  see  Eph.  1:  18.  The  natural  man 
needs  this  spiritual  action  upon  his  under- 
standing that  he  may  know  spiritual  things. 
And  Christ  has  come,  and  has  given  the 
Spirit  for  this  creative  work.  That  (IVa)  we 
may  know  or,  as  in  Revised  Version  "we 
know"  (the  indicative;  declaring  the  object 
of  the  understanding  and  the  fact  that  we  al- 
ready have  the  object,  in  one  statement)  him 
that  is  true  (or  the  True  One).  The  'True 
One'  is  God  (JohuiT:  3),  as  the  pronoun  in  the 
expression  'his  Son,'  that  follows,  demon- 
strates. And  he  is  called  the  True  One 
(dATjfltxoi',  and  not  aAjje^),  the  real,  genuine, 
God,  to  assert  his  distinction  from  all  ficti- 
tious or  false  gods  having  the  world's  heart, 
whether  the  devil  (god  of  this  world)  or 
images.  It  is,  then,  one  privilege  of  the  gos- 
pel to  know  God  ;  to  know  him,  not  merely 
by  the  reason  or  conscience,  not  merely 
through  theological  propositions,  but  with  the 
knowledge  of  personal  experience,  as  one 
knows  the  odor  of  flowers,  the  sweetness  of 
music,  or  the  refreshment  of  the  morning 
dew,  attaining  that  sensible  satisf^'ing  appre- 
ciation of  God,  marked  in  words  of  Eliphaz, 
"Acquaint  now  thyself  with  him,  and  be  at 
peace."  (Job22:2i.)  And  we  are  in  him 
that  is  true  {the  True  One).  In  union 
with  him;  and  thus  distinguished  from  those 
who  are  in  union  with  the  false  and  '  wicked 
one.'  We  not  only  know  God  in  spiritual 
experience,  but  we  arc  in  him,  in  the  life  ele- 
ment of  God  the  Spirit,  in  a  union  of  nature 
with  him.  In  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  Yes, 
in  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ.  Not  even  a  copula- 
tive separates  this  clause  from  the  preceding 


64 


I.  JOHN. 


[Ch.  V. 


21  Little  children,  keep  yourselves  from  idols.  Amen. 


21  the  true  God,  and  eternal  life.    My  little  children, 
guard  yourselves  from  idols. 


one,  as  if  it  were  so  involved  in  it  as  to  be 
very  nearly  a  restatement  in  another  form. 
To  be  in  union  with  the  True  One  is  also  to 
be  in  union  with  his  Son.  The  two  facts  can- 
not be  separated.  In  fact,  we  come  into  union 
with  the  Father  through  union  with  the  Son. 
(John  M;  6, 20:  17: -23.)  This  Same  Spiritual  union 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son  stood  before  the 
mind  at  the  opening  of  the  Epistle ;  appro- 
priately it  comes  out  sublimely  to  view  at  the 
close.  For  it  is  the  ultimatum  and  glory  of  the 
Christian  life.  In  it  the  river  has  flowed  out 
into  the  ocean  ;  the  heart  is  swallowed  up  in 
the  divine  light  and  love.  The  new  life  is 
filled  out  when  it  comes  to  conscious  union 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son.  This  is  the 
true  God,  and  eternal  life.  To  whom  does 
tlie  word  'this'  refer;  to  the  remote  True  One, 
or  to  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ  ?  With  the  ancient 
interpreters,  and  against  many  of  the  modern 
ones,  we  must  decide  for  the  latter  reference. 
Because,  1.  Christ  the  Son  is  the  nearer  and 
more  obvious  antecedent,  apart  from  all  theo- 
logizing. 2.  The  connection  calls  for  it. 
John  had,  in  effect,  said  that  to  be  in  the 
Father  was  to  be  in  the  Son.  "How  so?"  the 
mind  queries.  Because  Christ  himself  is  the 
true  God,  not  less  than  the  Father.  8.  It 
does  not  advance  the  thought,  and  seems  like 
a  tautology,  or  repetition,  after  the  Father 
has  been  twice  designated  as  the  True  One,  to 
say.  This  (true  one)  is  the  true  God.  What 
object  is  gained  by  saying  so?  4.  Christ  is 
not  only  the  immediate  antecedent,  but,  what- 


ever may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  he  is  the 
principal  subject  of  the  preceding  part  of  the 
verse.  One  has  but  to  read  it  carefully  from 
the  beginning  to  be  convinced  ot  this.  6. 
Life  eternal  Is  the  predicate,  not  of  the  Father, 
but  of  the  Son;  and  especially  in  the  writing 
of  John.  See  1 :  1,2;  6 :  11,  12,  13.  It  is  the 
Scripture  thought,  that  the  Father  hath  life, 
but  that  the  Son  is  life.  To  call  Clinst  the 
life  eternal  is  to  unite  the  closing  of  the  Epistle 
with  its  beginning.  6.  To  call  Christ,  the 
Son,  the  true  God  harmonizes  with  statements 
in  both  the  Gospel  and  Revelation  of  John. 
We  may  add,  that  Ebrard,  Braune,  Schultze, 
Weiss,  Thomasius,  and  others  definitely  main- 
tain the  view  here  unfolded. 

21.  Little  children.  John  takes  leave  of 
his  readers,  and  gives  them  his  parting  pre- 
cept, with  tender  loving  address  ;  with  a  title 
that  reminded  them  of  their  relation  at  once 
to  God  and  to  him,  inspired  them  with  Chris- 
tian confidence,  an^  laid  the  basis  for  strong 
admonition  and  appeal.  Keep  {guard,  as  in 
a  garrison)  yourselves  from  {the)  idols. 
'  The  idols '  worshiped  by  the  world  round 
about  you,  whether  spiritual  or  material  in 
their  nature.  Separate,  guard,  yourselves 
from  all  the  spirit  and  form  of  idolatry.  The 
allegiance  of  your  worship  and  love  is  due  to 
him  who  is  the  True  God  and  Life  Eternal, 
and  not  to  be  turned  or  divided  to  any  object 
or  sj-stem  of  human  creation  or  finiteness. 
Christ  and  idolatry  are  mutually  exclusive 
alternatives  in  the  hearts  of  men. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  EPISTLES 

OF  JOHN. 


I.    AUTHOR. 

Who  wrote  these  Epistles  ?  No  one  doubts  that  they  were  written  by  one  and  the 
same  person.  Their  form,  style,  thought,  and  spirit  suggest  one  autlior.  They  have 
been  called  twin  sisters.  But  who  was  the  writer  ?  The  answers  have  been  somewhat 
various.  Of  these,  only  two  are  worthy  of  note  :  one,  that  the  writer  was  the  person  who 
wrote  the  First  Epistle — namely,  John,  the  apostle  ;  the  other,  that  the  writer  was  John, 
the  presbyter,  a  Christian  disciple,  who,  it  is  alleged,  lived  in  Ephesus  near  the  close  of 
the  first  century.  Ebrard  sustains  the  latter  opinion  ;  but  the  weight  of  critical  judgment 
is  for  the  other  view,  which  is  strongly  sanctioned  by  Liicke,  DeWette,  Huther,  Diister- 
dieck,  Lange,  Alford,  and  many  others  of  scarcely  less  scholarship  and  acumen. 

If  in  some  of  the  early  documents  and  testimonies  these  two  Epistles  are  omitted, 
where  the  First  is  cited  or  named,  the  reason  is  to  be  found  in  their  exceeding  brevity, 
and  their  merely  private  destination,  rather  than  in  a  doubt  of  their  apostolic  origin. 
Irenaeus,  the  disciple  of  Polycarp,  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Dionysins  and  Alexander  of 
Alexandria,  Cyprian,  and  Eusebius,  all  give  direct  or  indirect  testimony  to  the  authorship 
by  John,  the  apostle.  Even  the  existence  of  such  a  person  as  John,  the  presbyter, 
as  distinguished  from  the  Apostle  John,  is  deemed  by  Alford  "very  doubtful."  The 
principal  reason  why  the  two  Epistles  have  been  attributed  to  any  other  than  John,  the 
apostle,  is  the  writer's  announcement  of  himself  in  each  as  the  elder,  or  presbyter.  It  is 
the  manner  of  John,  as  the  Fourth  Grospel  and  First  Epistle  show,  to  suppress  his  own 
name  as  far  as  possible.  But,  writing  a  personal  letter  to  a  personal  acquaintance,  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  designate  himself  in  some  way,  which  he  does,  is  would  be  natural 
to  him,  with  the  most  modest  epithet  which  he  could  use,  that  would  be  sufficient  to 
identify  him.  What  other  term  could  be  so  well  selected,  as  that  of  the  elder,  or  pres- 
byter, to  accomplish  this,  and  at  the  same  time  satisfy  the  apostle's  modest  spirit?  For 
he  was  an  elder,  or  bishop,  in  one  class  with  others  at  Ephesus  ;  and  he  was  tlir  elder  in 
being  the  first  among  equals  in  his  official  relation  to  the  church  in  Ejihesus.  And  this, 
therefore,  (6  Trpe/Surepos-,  official,  not  6  n-peo-iSuTi)?,  an  old  man)  would  unmistakably  designate 
him.  Did  not  Peter,  though  an  apostle,  call  himself  an  elder?  (1  Peter  5:1.)  Papias 
included  apostles  among  those  called  elders.  Another  John  at  Ephesus  could  not  be 
called  the  elder  by  way  of  eminence.  The  epithet  makes  for,  rather  than  against,  the 
apostle.  The  internal  evidence  of  these  Epistles,  furnished  by  the  style,  sentiment,  and 
manner,  is  strikingly  in  favor  of  the  authors  Mp  of  John,  the  apostle.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  make  the  comparisons  illustrating  this  point. 

£  65 


66  INTRODUCTION  TO  SECOND  AND  THIRD  EPISTLES  OF  JOHN. 

II.    PERSONS  ADDRESSED. 

To  whom  were  these  Epistles  written  ?  It  is  admitted  by  all  that  the  Third  was 
addressed  to  a  Christian  brother  bearing  the  name  of  Gains,  a  brother  of  prominence, 
active  in  behalf  of  missionaries,  benevolent  and  beloved,  but  whether  the  Gains  of  Mace- 
donia (Acts  19  :  29),  or  the  Gains  of  Corinth  (1  Cor.  1  :  14  ;  Rom.  16  :  23),  or  the  Gains 
of  Derbe  (Acts  20 :  4),  or  neither  of  them,  none  can  decide.  One  of  this  name  is 
mentioned  in  "The  Apostolic  Constitution"  as  Bishop  of  Pergamos,  and  some  have 
thought  him  to  be  the  one  addressed  by  John,  but  only  on  the  basis  of  the  purest 
conjecture. 

It  seems  equally  plain  to  us  that  the  Second  Epistle  was  addressed  to  a  prominent  and 
influential  Christian  sister,  Cyria  by  name,  and  to  her  children.  Is  not  this  exactly  what 
the  letter  says,  as  explicitly  as  the  utterance  of  the  address  in  the  other  letter?  Yet 
there  have  been  those,  who,  fond  of  remote  meanings  and  fanciful  inventions,  have  under- 
stood this  Epistle  to  be  addressed  to  a  church,  or  to  all  the  churches  together,  under 
the  name  and  figure  of  a  chosen  lady.  Some  holding  Cyria  (xvpia)  to  be  an  epithet  (lady, 
or  mistress),  with  indeed  a  literal  and  not  a  figurative  application,  have  made  all  sorts  of 
conjectures  as  to  who  the  lady  was  ;  it  even  being  guessed  that  she  was  jNIartha  of 
Bethany,  or  again,  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  !  Those  maintaining  the  figurative  appli- 
cation of  the  term,  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  conjecture  the  particular  church  addressed. 
That  at  Corinth  has  been  named  ;  also  that  at  Philadelphia,  and  that  at  Jerusalem.  We 
think  we  have  given  the  most  obvious  distinction  of  the  Epistle,  and  one  with  which  its 
tenor,  and  natural  interpretation,  and  the  analogy  of  its  twin  companion,  are  most  in 
harmony.  Why  we  regard  the  term  Ci/ria  as  a  name,  and  not  an  epithet,  and  the  term 
elect  as  an  epithet,  and  not  a  name,  will  further  appear  in  the  commeutarj'. 

III.    PLACE  AND  TIME. 

The  place  and  time  of  writing  these  Epistles  need  not  be  discussed  at  any  length. 
From  a  passage  in  the  "History"  of  Eusebius  (III.  23),  it  is  inferred  that  they  were 
written  late  in  the  apostle's  long  life,  and  their  notable  similarity  suggests  that  they  were 
written  not  far  apart  in  matter  of  time.  The  journey  spoken  of  in  each  may  have  been 
one  and  the  same.  From  the  suggestions  connected  with  the  First  Epistle,  and  from  the 
generally  credited  tradition  respecting  John's  residence  in  the  last  part  of  his  life,  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  place  of  writing  was  Ephesus. 

The  object  and  contents  of  these  Epistles,  together  with  other  peculiarities  belonging 
to  them,  may  be  best  learned  in  our  exegetical  study  of  them.  We  only  add  that  the 
Third  Epistle  may  be  flvirly  designated  as  pre-eminently  the  Missionary  Epistle  of  the 
New  Testament.  As  to  missionary  enterprise,  and  our  duty  to  it,  it  supplies  in  little 
space  a  surprising  measure  of  instruotion. 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN. 


THE  elder  unto  the  elect  lady  and  her  children,  whom 
I  love  iu  ihe  truth  ;  and  not  1  only,  but  also  all  th(iy 
that  have  kuown  the  truth  ; 


1      The  elder  unto  the  elect  i  lady  and  her  children, 


1  Or,  Cyria. 


1-3.  Destination  and  General  Pur- 
posK  OF  THE  Epistle,  with  a  Loving 
Salutation  Within  the  Sphere  of  Gos- 
pel Truth. 

1.  The  elder.  John,  the  apcstle,  and  writer 
of  the  previous  Epistle.  The  existence  of  a 
presbj'ter  John,  other  than,  tlie  apostle  of  that 
name,  and  living  in  his  time,  or  a  little  later, 
is,  perhaps,  doubtful;  and  the  attributing  of 
the  present  writing  to  him  seems  as  improb- 
able as  it  is  unnecessary.  The  style,  the 
words,  the  tlioughts,  the  warnings,  are  those 
of  him  who  wrote  the  First  Epistle.  The 
peculiar  personal  life  rej)resented  in  the  one 
letter  is  manifest  in  the  other.  Every  appre- 
ciative reader  of  the  New  Testament  feels  the 
Johaniiean  manner  and  heart  in  our  Epistle. 
And  then  the  external  and  historical  evidence 
on  the  whole  decides  for  the  authorship  of  the 
Apostle  John.  Nor  is  it  foreign  to  John's 
way  to  omit  his  own  name,  and  identify  him- 
self only  by  some  indirect  description.  No 
early  gospel  writer  of  whom  we  have  any 
knowledge,  would  be  so  likely  as  John  to 
begin  an  epistle  by  leaving  out  his  own  name, 
and  calling  himself  simply  the  elder,  as  is 
done  in  the  present  writing.  He  who 
called  himself  indirectly  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  who  withheld  his  own  name  in 
record  of  the  two  in  John  1:  40  (Godet), 
who,  in  his  First  Epistle,  only  remotely  sug- 
gests himself,  is  just  the  one  to  do  as  the  writer 
of  our  Epistle  has  done.  The  designation 
"elder,"  may  refer  to  the  writer's  general 
ofBce  as  one  of  the  elders  of  the  church,  or 
to  his  matured,  and  advanced  age.  The 
Apostle  Peter  reckoned  himself  officially  in 
the  class  of  elders  (i  PeterS:  i)  ;  and  John  may 
have  done  the  same,  assuming  the  humbler 
of  two  rightful  titles.  In  that  case,  however, 
he  would  be  more  likely  to  speak  of  himself 
as  an  elder,  than  as  the  elder.  The  latter 
expression  would  be  more  in  place  if  he  were 
to  call  himself  merely  the  old  man.    In  gospel 


experience,  and  in  years,  he  was  doubtless 
the  oldest  living  teacher  in  the  churches  at 
the  time  when  he  wrote.  How  touching  and 
unassuming  is  the  designation,  with  this  ref- 
erence! The  aged  servant  of  Christ,  the 
father  in  the  gospel,  writes  to  a  favorite 
Ciiristian  family  some  words  of  affection  and 
timely  admonition.  Unto  the  elect  lady 
(or,  Cyria).  This  translation  is  )jreferred  to 
tiiat  in  the  Common  Version.  (Bengel, 
DeWette,  Liicke,  Ebrard. )  Instances  of  the 
ancient  use  of  the  original  word  for  Cyria 
(Kvpia.)  as  a  proper  name,  are  given  by  Gruter 
and  Liicke.  There  are  indications  that  the 
third  letter  of  John  and  our  letter  were  written 
about  the  same  time.  If  the  third  was  written 
to  an  individual  by  name  (Gaius),  is  not  the 
second  likely  to  be?  It  is  more  common  for 
the  New  Testament  writers  to  mention  the 
person  addressed  by  simple  name,  than  by 
any  descriptive  title.  To  make  the  transla- 
tion 'lady,'  and  then  to  interpret  '  lady  '  as 
the  church,  is  a  mysticism  foreign  to  sacred 
epistolary  writings.  It  comes,  therefore,  to 
this:  that  if  we  have  New  Testament  epistles 
addressed  to  brethren,  as  Timothy,  Titus, 
Philemon,  and  Gaius,  we  have  likewise  one 
directed  to  a  sister,  also  by  name;  and  th.3 
reasonable  prominence  of  woman  in  the  early 
church  is  exemplified.  That  the  term  '  elect' 
is  an  adjective,  and  not  a  proper  name  (Electa), 
is  suggested  by  its  position  without  the  article 
in  the  Greek,  as  well  as  by  its  application  also 
to  a  sister  (ver.  is)  of  the  person  addressed. 
And  with  what  meaning  is  the  term  applied 
to  Cyria?  To  signify  her  standing  in  the 
sovereign  grace  and  eternal  choice  of  God, 
and  her  consequent  distinction  as  one  de- 
lighted in  by  all  within  the  sphere  of  gospel 
truth.  In  the  early  Church  there  was  less 
hesitancy  in  calling  Christians  the  elect  than 
prevails  at  present.  The  old  habit  might  be 
resumed  with  profit.  God's  eternal  plan  in 
sahation,  and  the  strength  of  odr  standing  as 

67 


68 


II.  JOHN. 


2  For  the  truth's  sake,  which  dwelleth  in  us,  and 
shall  be  with  us  for  ever. 

3  Grace  be  with  you,  mercy,  and  peace,  from  God  the 


whom  I  love  in  truth ;  and  not  I  only,  but  also  all 

2  they  that  know  the  truth  ;  for  the  truth's  sake  which 

3  abideth  iu  lis,  aud  it  shall  be  with  us  lorever :  Grace, 


saints,  might  then  be  more  fully  recognized. 
Whom  (that  is,  both  Cyria  and  her  children), 
I  (emphatic)  love  in  truth.  Truth  here, 
and  generally  in  the  writing  of  John,  is  the 
truth  of  Christ  considered  as  exactly  con- 
forming to,  and  representing  God's  nature. 
It  is  the  system  of  the  gospel  filled  with  the 
life  of  God,  and  capable  of  becoming  an 
experience  of  the  heart.  Loving  in  truth, 
in  John's  meaning,  is  loving  in  the  element 
and  sphere  of  truth  so  defined.  It  is  loving 
in  truth  as  a  living  experience,  connecting 
and  bounding  both  the  subject  and  object  of 
the  love.  The  truth  is  the  bond  of  sympathy. 
A  love  so  conditioned  was  spiritual  and  holy. 
A  common  life  of  the  divine  gospel  was  its 
ground  and  reason.  Here  is  the  foundation 
of  all  abiding  Christian  affection — not  senti- 
ment, not  impulse,  not  worldly  beautj',  which 
is  evanescent,  but  the  truth  of  Christ  in  the 
soul.  That  have  known  the  truth — have 
become  experimentally  acquainted  with  it; 
have  known  it  in  the  heart.  Only  so  can 
one  really  know  the  truth.  Then  truth  and 
the  soul  are  in  vital  union.  The  statement 
of  John  is  that  not  only  he,  but  all  others 
who  are  in  sympathy  with  the  truth,  and 
have  met  Cyria  and  her  children,  love  them 
because  thqj-  discern  in  them  the  same  truth 
they  themselves  have  felt,  and  thus  instantly 
there  is  a  bond  of  union  and  affection.  It  is 
equivalent  to  loving  in  the  Lord.  Of  course, 
'all  they  '  must  be  limited  to  those  who  knew 
the  person  to  whom  he  was  writing. 

2.  For  the  truth's  sake  (or,  on  accoiint 
of  the  tTuth)— that  is,  to  serve  and  promote  it. 
The  truth  is  the  object.  What  is  it  that  is  for 
this  object?  Possibly  John  views  his  love 
for  this  mother  and  her  children  as  serving 
the  interests  of  the  truth  in  him  and  them, 
and  before  the  eyes  of  all.  Christian  love 
makes  room  for  truth,  demonstrates  it,  and 
commends  it.  That  which  is  its  basis  and 
principle  it  also  serves  as  its  end.  But  it  is 
more  probable  that  John  has  in  mind  his  pre- 
sent writing  as  that  which  is  for  this  object. 
He  writes  to  C3'ria  and  her  children  with  this 
object  before  him,  that  he  may  serve  the 
truth  in  them  and  in  all  the  kingdom'  of 
Christ,  by  recalling  precious  commands,  by 


warning  against  deceivers  and  errorists,  and 
by  encouraging  them  to  abide  in  the  doctrine 
of  Christ.  What  a  worthy  motive  for  writ- 
ing—'for  the  truth's  sake  !'  What  would  he 
not  do  thai  this  sublime  end  might  be  served  ! 
How  precious  was  the  truth  of  the  gospel  to 
John  !  He  had  given  himself  to  it,  and  now 
it  was  his  continual  study  how  he  might 
guard  and  exalt  it.  Which  dwelleth  (or, 
abideth,  ver.  9)  in  us.  In  John,  in  the 
woman  and  her  family,  and  in  all  the  com- 
pany of  believers.  AVhen  the  truth  of  Christ 
comes  into  union  with  a  soul,  it  is  not  for  a 
temporary  visit,  but  to  abide  there.  That 
soul  is  its  home.  And  because  it  is  in  such 
abiding  relations  with  the  very  life  of  those 
who  welcome  it,  therefore  it  was  worthy  of 
service,  and  should  have  sacred  guard.  And 
shall  be  with  us  (not  with  unbelievers  or 
the  errorists)  for  ever — through  this  life,  and 
on  through  the  eternal  ages,  without  inter- 
ruption, without  cessation.  The  truth  ener- 
gized, made  alive,  in  us  by  the  Holy  Si)irit, 
abides.  It  touches  the  soul  as  an  eternal 
principle.  Christianity  experienced  in  reality 
continues.  But  those  who  have  no  root  wither 
away.  In  this  verse  there  seems  to  be,  as 
Alford  has  suggested,  a  reminiscence  of  forms 
of  expression  used  in  John  14:  16,  17. 

3.  With  you.  Not  with  yon,  though  ac- 
cording to  text  of  Lachmann,  but  with  'us,' 
as  understood  by  nearly  all  critics.  In  the 
midst  (m"o)  of  us,  in  our  company,  along 
with  us,  in  all  times  and  circumstances. 
With  us,  specially  John,  Cj'ria,  and  the  chil- 
dren, though  not  excluding  others  who  know 
the  truth.  The  blessing  is  not  merely  wished, 
nor  is  it  alone  willed,  with  a  certain  causa- 
tivity,  as  appears  in  Paul's  salutations,  but 
its  certain  fulfillment  is  declared;  not  indeed 
excluding  the  wish  or  the  will  on  John's  part, 
but  looking  on  at  once  to  the  sure  effect,  which 
has  no  contingency  whatsoever.  Grace — the 
favor,  benevolence,  love  of  God,  considered 
as  in  exercise,  and  actually  out-going.  "The 
universal  source  of  all  our  salvation  and 
new  life."  (Ebrard.)  Trench,  in  his  "Syn- 
onyms of  the  New  Testament,"  too  much 
limits  its  reference.  Mercy — the  particu- 
lar exercise  of  the  grace    of  God    towards 


IL  JOHN. 


69 


Fa;  her,  aud  from  the  Ix)rd  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
Father,  iu  truth  ami  love. 

4  I  rejoice  greatlj-  that  I  found  of  thy  children  walk- 
ing iu  truth,  as  we  have  received  a  couimandunjut 
from  the  Father. 


mercy,  peace  shall  be  with  us,  from  (iod  the  Father, 
and  from  Jesus  Christ  the  sou  ol  ihe  Father,  iu  truth 
aud  love. 
4      I  rejoice  greatly  that  I  have  found  certain  of  thy 
children  walking  iu  truth,  eveu  as  we  received  com- 


the  guilty  and  miserable,  resulting  in  their 
salvation.  It  is  a  sweet  word  to  such  as  feel 
their  sins,  and  realize  what  they  may  involve. 
Peace — the  full  eflect  of  grace  and  mercy  in 
the  soul.  It  includes  the  pacification  of  con- 
science, the  assuagement  of  fear,  the  annul- 
ing  of  enmity  toward  God,  and  substantial 
spiritual  health  and  rest.  From  God  the 
Father,  Tlie  Father,  specially  in  his  rela- 
tion to  Christ;  j'et  our  Father  by  our  becom- 
ing one  with  Clirist.  The  term  'from'  (n-api) 
here  is  other  than  that  (an-d)  uniformly  em- 
ployed by  Paul  in  similar  formulas.  Mean- 
ing fro7n  the  presence  of,  it  dilates  the  point 
whence  the  blessing  proceeds,  and  somewhat 
detains  the  imagination  upon  it.  It  implies 
a  certain  emphasis  of  the  origin  of  the  grace. 
And  from  the  Lord  {the  Lord  not  genuine) 
Jesus  Christ.  The  preposition  (unlike  the 
usage  in  Paul's  salutations)  is  here  repeated 
to  render  Christ's  personal  distinction  from 
the  Father  more  marked,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  make  his  complete  equality  with  hjm, 
as  a  source  of  blessing,  more  prominent.  The 
term  'Jesus'  is  meant  to  express  fully  the 
humanity  of  Jesus.  And  the  whole  expres- 
sion is  shaped  with  reference  to  current  here- 
sies (see  ver.  7,  9,  10)  as  to  the  person  of 
Christ.  The  Son  of  the  Father.  Doctrinal 
and  defensive  in  relation  to  gainsayers  and 
seducers.  In  truth  and  love.  The  two 
ground  tones  of  the  Epistle,  says  Alford.  The 
two  things  to  be  recalled  and  impressed  in 
what  follows.  And  they  are  the  sphere  and 
element,  the  measure  and  end,  of  the  grace, 
mercy,  and  peace  declared.  The  blessing  de- 
clared shall  come  into  consciousness  united 
with  truth  and  love,  and  putting  honor  upon 
them.  The  living  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
and  the  action  of  love,  accompanj'  the  bless- 
ing. The  blessing  is  of  that  kind  that  it  can- 
not be  without  them.  John  can  announce  no 
blessing  which  is  out  of  connection  with 
Christ  and  his  system,  or  which  is  alien  to 
love.  The  two  terms  concentrate  into  them- 
selves the  substance  of  the  fourth  chapter  in 
the  First  Epistle,  and  impress  one  that  the 
author  of  that  chapter  is  the  writer  here. 


4-8.  Joy,  Exhortation,  and  Admoni- 
tion, AS  TO  Walking  in  the  Tkutii  of 
Christ  and  tue  Grace  of  Love. 

4.  I  rejoiced  greatly.  He  had  become 
acquainted  with  the  Christian  character  of  at 
least  a  portion  of  Cyria's  children,  in  some 
way.  Perhaps  it  was  through  the  reliable 
report  of  others;  perhaps  it  was  by  one  or 
more  personal  meetings,  which  could  well 
have  liappened  on  some  journey,  or,  still 
more  probably,  at  the  home  of  their  aunt 
(ver.  13),  with  whom  John  was  in  some  near 
relation.  Very  likely  his  acquaintance  with 
the  spiritual  standing  of  the  children  had 
arisen  in  both  ways.  That  there  had  been 
more  than  one  occasion  of  learning  about  the 
children  seems  to  be  implied  by  the  use  of  the 
perfect  tense  which  follows.  But  whenever 
and  as  often  as  he  had  found  out  their  good 
walk  he  rejoiced  even  exceedingly.  The  old 
man  was  capable  of  a  very  lively  emotion. 
That  I  have  found  introduces  the  matter 
of  the  great  joy.  The  tense  seems  to  imply  a 
repeated  discovery  of  evidence.  Of  thy  chil- 
dren— that  is,  such  of  them  as  he  had  met,  or 
had  learned  about  in  any  other  way.  Of  the 
others  of  the  children  he  sa3's  nothing  here, 
certainly  nothing  against  them.  Ver.  1  im- 
plies well  of  them  all.  Walking  in  truth. 
Holding  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  living 
according  to  it.  The  truth  manifested  itself 
in  their  heart  experience,  and  in  their  general 
conduct.  The  truth  was  the  element,  motive 
power,  and  mould  of  their  life.  It  includes 
union  with  Christ  and  the  Holj'  Spirit,  for 
these  belong  to  the  truth  system  considered  as 
a  living  display  of  the  divine  nature.  So 
walking,  the  truth  was  their  theme  and  con- 
fession ;  it  ennobled  their  looks,  it  tempered 
their  words,  it  inspired  their  zeal;  and  others 
might  take  knowledge  of  them  that  they  were 
possessed  by  it.  Their  continual  testimony, 
their  Christian  obedience,  their  relish  of  gos- 
pel occupations  and  gospel  com  pan  j%  showed 
to  all  where  they  stood.  When  we  witness 
this,  or  hear  of  this,  in  God's  professed  chil- 
dren, we  cannot  help  rejoicing,  as  the  apostle 
did  in  case  of  Cyria's  faithful  chi'dren.    If 


70 


II.  JOHN. 


5  And  now  I  beseech  thee,  lady,  not  as  though  I 
■wrote  a  new  commandment  unto  tiiee,  but  that  which 
we  had  from  the  beginning,  that  we  love  one  another. 


5  mandnient  from  the  Father.  And  now  I  beseech 
thee,  Mady,  not  as  though  I  wrote  to  thee  a  new 
commandment,  but  that  which  we   had   from   the 

6  beginning,  that  we  love  one  another.    And  this  is 


1  Or,  Cyria. 


we  are  in  sympathy  with  the  truth,  there  are 
two  things  that  give  us  peculiar  joy :  To  hear 
of  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  to  know  that 
those  converted  are  walliing,  as  Cliristians 
should,  in  fidelity  to  the  doctrines  i^nd  princi- 
ples of  the  new  life  they  have  received.  How 
a  pastor  rejoices  over  the  well-doing  members 
of  his  flock  !  He  knows  how  John  felt.  Paul 
was  wont  to  rejoice  much  over  the  persevering 
Christian  faith  and  walk  of  members  of  the 
various  churches.  Words  expressive  of  his 
peculiar  satisfaction  in  this  regard  are  ad- 
dressed to  some  at  Rome,  at  Corinth,  at  Phil- 
ippi,  and  at  Colosse.  Nor  is  it  hard  to  under- 
stand why  John  and  Paul  should  be  so  glad 
over  the  truth-like  walk  of  those  who  had 
professed  Christ.  In  case  of  Cyria's  children, 
John  rejoiced  for  their  sake,  for  his  own  sake, 
for  the  mother's  sake,  and,  above  all,  for  the 
sake  of  Christ  and  the  gospel.  And  what  an 
opposite  feeling  of  mourning  fills  our  hearts 
when  we  find  those  whom  we  have  known 
and  loved  in  the  gospel  failing  to  walk  in  the 
truth  as  they  set  out  to  do.  Be  sure  of  this, 
O  Christian  professor,  that  your  Christian 
walk  is  giving  somebody  pain  or  joy.  Others 
are  so  interested  in  you,  or  connected  with 
you,  that  it  cannot  be  otherwise.  As  {even  a.v) 
we  have  received  a  commandment  from 
the  Father.  'Have'  is  to  be  omitted  before 
'received.'  The  Father  of  Christ  is  meant, 
and  our  Father  by  Christ.  The  preposition 
'  from  '  is  the  same  as  in  ver.  3 ;  see  note  there. 
At  what  definite  past  time  was  the  command- 
ment received?  No  certain  answer  can  be 
given.  Perhaps  the  time  of  John's  associat- 
ing with  Christ  on  earth  is  referred  to,  and 
the  commandment,  of  which  John  has  a 
reminiscence  (see  also  1  John  2:  7),  but  no 
record,  is  one  that  came  from  the  Father 
through  the  Son.  What  was  the  command- 
ment? The  connection  implies  that  it  was 
one  relating  to  walking  in  the  truth.  Jesus 
may  at  some  time  have  given  a  charge  about 
such  walking,  in  the  hearing  of  John  and  his 
fellow  disciples,  which  the  gospels  have  not 
mentioned.  As  we  have  received  the  Lord 
Jesus,  so  we  must  walk  in   him.     Being  a 


Christian  is  not  only  to  begin,  but  to  continue 
in  gospel  doctrine  and  life.  Nor  is  it  to  have 
something  hid  in  the  heart,  about  which 
others  cannot  know  anything,  but  it  is  to  let 
one's  light  shine  so  that  others  may  see  and 
glorify  the  Father  in  heaven.  The  walking 
is  something  recognizable.  The  command  to 
walk  in  the  truth  is  therefore  virtually,  first  a 
charge  to  continue  in  the  Christian  way,  and 
second,  to  give  evidence  of  our  new  life  to 
others.  And  so  shall  joy  be  awakened  around. 
5.  And  now  (having  made  the  preliminary 
statements  which  the  writer  wished  to  make) 
1  beseech  (or  ask,  not  as  a  beggar,  aireio,  but 
as  one  who  has  a  right  to  ask,  epiordu))  thee, 
lady  (Cyria),  not  as  though  I  wrote  (or  as 
writing,  for  the  best  text  requires  the  parti- 
cij)le)  a  new  commandment,  but  that 
which  we  had  from  the  beginning  (that 
is,  at  first,  when  Christ  was  on  earth,  John 
15:  12),  that  we  (John  puts  himself  under 
one  law  with  all  Christians)  love  one  an- 
other. This  is  the  aim  of  John's  asking,  or 
entreaty,  tliot  (Iva)  we  love  one  another.  So 
Christ's  command  will  be  fulfilled.  He  asks 
Cj'ria  to  do  her  part  in  this  fulfillment.  For 
the  fine  purport  of  this  command,  the  sense 
in  which  it  is  new  and  the  sense  in  which  it  is 
not  new,  and  a  defense  of  its  exclusive  appli- 
cation to  the  family  of  Christ,  see  notes  on  1 
John  2:  7,  8;  3:  23;  4:  7.  The  relation  of  our 
verse  to  the  preceding  suggests  the  relation  of 
brotherly  love  to  walking  in  truth.  Thy  chil- 
dren walk  in  truth:  And  now  I  beseech  thee 
that  we  love  one  another.  Truth  is  the  divine 
principle  of  Christianity  received  in  union 
with  God.  Brotherly  love  is  the  outflow, 
fruit,  fulfillment,  of  that  living  principle. 
Having  been  grafted  into  God's  nature  in  the 
new  birth,  and  so  receiving  the  very  truth  of 
God,  we  must  love  as  God  loves,  and  so  love 
all  God's  children  with  a  peculiar  fondness. 
The  truth  life  is  logically  prior  to  love  of  the 
brethren,  but  involves  it  as  its  crown  and 
completion.  It  was  this  intimate  union  of 
the  two  that  led  John,  having  spoken  of  a 
walk  in  the  truth,  to  follow  at  once  with  a 
reminder  concerning  love.     Living  tn.th  and 


II.   JOHN. 


71 


G  And  this  is  love,  that  we  walk  after  liis  coiuiiiand- 
ments.  This  is  the  cuiiiiuaudiueiit,  That,  as  ye  have 
heard  from  ihe  beginiiiiig,  ye  should  walk  in  it. 

7  For  many  deeeivers  are  eutered  into   the  world, 


love,  that  we  should  walk  afti-r  his  commandments. 

This  is  the  comiiiaiidineMt,eveii  as  ye  heard  from  iho 

7  beyimiing,  that  ye  should  walk  lu  it.     For  mauy 


Christian  love  imply  each  other  in  every 
renewed  soul.  There  is  an  instructive  hint  in 
John's  use  of  that  word  'beseech,'  or  ask. 
He  does  not  command.  God  commands  ;  it  is 
our  office  to  entreat  and  beseech,  (-i  Cor.  5:  20.) 
We  may  not  dictate  or  drive;  it  is  ours  to  do 
simply  the  earnest  and  subdued  work  of  be- 
seeching. Oil,  for  the  tenderness  of  John  and 
the  tears  of  Paul  in  addressing  our  dying 
fellow  men  !  Our  verse  does  nt)t  declare  to 
Cyria  a  new  duty  or  doctrine.  It  is  only  a 
rem  in  ler  of  what  had  been  spoken  of  to  her, 
doubtless,  over  and  over  again.  Probably 
scores  of  times  she  had  heard  about  it  in 
meetings  where  she  had  been  present.  Of  the 
leading  tilings  in  our  religion  we  need  fre- 
quent reminding,  and  may  not  shrink  frouj 
the  repetition  of  important  teachings. 

6.  And  this  is  love.  'This'  is  the  predi- 
cate. Tiie  love  principle  is  this.  That  is,  this 
is  its  action,  the  direction  it  takes,  its  work- 
ing. See  1  John  5:  -3,  and  compare  John  14: 
15,  21,  23.  That  we  walk  after  his  (the 
Father's;  compare  ver.  4)  comniandmeiits. 
The  commands  of  the  gospel  made  through 
Christ  and  the  apostles  are  those  here  in 
mind.  Thej'  relate  to  the  whole  circle  of 
Christian  obligation  and  obedience.  They 
imply  indeed  all  the  moral  law  of  whatsoever 
age.  They  include  belief,  confe.-sion,  bap- 
tism, and  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Love  clothes  itself  in  these  commands.  Obe- 
dience to  all  the  will  of  God  is  its  natural 
outworking  and  manifestation.  So  is  it  made 
perfect.  The  new  life  runs  in  the  channels 
of  God's  will.  Its  native  language  is:  "I 
will  run  in  the  paths  of  thy  commandments." 
Thus,  while  walking  in  truth  fulfills  itself  in 
love,  love  fulfills  itself  in  nil  obedience.  And 
thus  the  love  of  John's  exhortation  is  "not 
an  eifeminate,  self-seeking,  self  complacent 
love,  but  a  love  which  manifests  itself  in  the 
steady  discharge  of  every  obligation."  It  is 
no  mere  emotional  or  sentimental  principle 
that  he  has  in  mind,  but  a  vigorous,  practical 
spring  of  action,  such  as  that  which  we  see  in 
the  Father  and  was  manifest  in  Jesus  Christ. 
This  is  the  commandment.  The  one  com- 
mandment in  which  God's  other  command- 
17 


mentsare  summed  up.  (Alford.)  Or,  at  least' 
a  principal  command,  which  has  many  appli- 
cations, and  covers  much  of  the  ground  of 
Christian  action.  That,  as  ye  (Cyria  and  her 
children)  have  heard  from  the  beginning. 
From  the  time  when  ye  first  luiard  anything 
about  Christianity.  Ye  should  walk  in  it. 
That  is,  in  love.  If  'it'  meant  thecotnmand- 
tiient,  the  preposition  governing  it  would 
have  been  "after,"  or  according  to,  as  in 
former  part  of  the  verse.  Walking  in  love 
is  doing  the  practical  deeds  of  love.  The 
specific  deed  of  love  which  the  apostle  in- 
tends at  this  point  is  the  exercise  of  brotherly 
love.  And  this  is  the  argument  of  the  whole 
verse:  Love  as  a  principle,  or  God's  love  in 
the  soul,  leads  to  the  doing  of  the  commands. 
A  chief  command,  or  the  substance  of  all  the 
commands,  is  that  we  should  have  all  our 
walk  in  love,  that  all  our  acting  should  be  in 
love,  which  includes  our  acting  toward  our 
brethren.  Therefore,  if  we  have  the  love  of 
God  in  us,  we  shall  do  God's  will  as  to  the 
particular  matter  of  V)rotherly  love.  And  so 
the  particular  command  of  ver.  5  is  enforced 
by  an  argument  derived  from  love  inself. 

7.  For.  This  introduces  a  reason  why 
Ci'ria  and  her  children  should  adhere  stead- 
fastly to  the  gospel  command  of  love,  and 
continue  to  walk  in  love,  and  why  the  writer 
so  much  urges  it.  John  teaches  impressively 
that  one  of  the  best  preservatives  against  being 
led  away  into  the  error  of  false  tt^achers  is  to 
keep  one's  self  in  the  life  of  s]>iritual  love. 
As  long  as  this  love  abides  warm  and  active 
in  the  heart,  we  are  comparatively  safe  against 
the  snares  of  docti-inal  error.  For  it  is  an 
instinct  that  follows  and  distinguishes  the 
truth,  as  the  bee  does  the  honey.  John  feels 
that  if  the  persons  addressed  let  their  love 
wax  cold  and  their  practical  s])ir;tual  life 
shrink  up,  they  would  be  a  ready  prey  for  the 
errorist^  who  were  abroad,  many  in  number, 
like  devouring  beasts  and  wily  serpents. 
"Therefore,  by  all  means,"  be  says,  "con- 
tinue to  walk  in  love."  Ecclesiastical  history 
shows  that  not  till  the  early  churches  waxed 
cold  in  their  love,  in  practical  spiritual  vital- 
ity, did  antichrist  make  effectual  inroads  rpon 


72 


II.  JOHK 


who  confess  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh. 
This  is  a  deceiver  and  an  antichrist. 

8  Look  to  yourselves,  that  we  lose  not  those  things 
wliich  we  have  wrought,  but  that  we  receive  a  full 
reward. 


deceivers  are  gone  forth  into  the  world,  evfn  they 
that  conless  not  that  Jesus  Christ  cometh  in  the 
8  flesh.  This  is  the  deceiver  and  the  antichrist.  Look 
to  yourselves,  that  ye  ilose  not  the  things  which 
2  we  have  wrought,  but  that  ye  receive  a  full  reward. 


1  Or,  destroy 2  MauT  aDcient  authorities  read  ye. 


them,  and  errors  of  docetism  and  sacramen- 
tarianism  flourish.  Deadness  of  experience 
was  the  fatal  step  towards  falsity  of  doctrine. 
Materialism,  spiritualism,  and  other  forms  of 
religious  error,  are  far  more  likely  to  allure 
adherents  from  the  cold  and  lifeless  members 
of  our  churches,  than  from  others.  There  is 
indeed  another  class  of  Christians  who  are 
easily  duped  by  doctrinal  extravagances — 
namely,  such  as  are  puffed  up  with  spiritual 
pride.  Yet  these  are  not  another  class,  for  as 
a  rule  these  very  ones  are,  above  all,  lacking 
in  tender  love  of  the  brethren.  Spiritual  pride 
is  a  form  of  self-love,  which  excludes  the  finer 
emotions  of  love  to  all  the  church.  The  state- 
ment to  be  emphasized  here  is  that  the  per- 
version of  one's  inner  spiritual  life  exposes 
one  to  the  power  of  error.  But  there  was  a 
special  reason  for  adhering  to  brotherly  love, 
in  the  form  of  error  which  the  false  teachers 
were  inculcating  at  the  time  Joiin  wrote. 
They  were  teaching  that  Jesus  Christ  had  not 
come  in  the  flesh,  that  he  had  only  the  appear- 
ance of  human  nature.  This  teaching  was 
logically  a  foe  to  the  existence  of  brotherly' 
love.  For  love  is  received  only  in  union  with 
God.  And  no  man  can  come  into  union  with 
God  save  through  the  incarnation  of  his  Son. 
And  if  Christ  be  not  actually  incarnated,  then 
union  with  God,  and  consequent  spiritual  love, 
are  impossible.  Wherefore,  John  says,"Cling 
to  this  love,  walk  in  it,  as  something  which 
the  deceivers  are  undermining  b^'  their  false 
doctrine  of  the  person  of  Christ."  In  another 
way  still,  this  deceptive  doctrine  of  Christ 
was  utterly  against  the  exercise  of  brotherly' 
love — namely,  this  :  We  love  our  brother  first 
in  the  human  nature  of  Christ.  If  he  had  no 
human  nature,  if  he  did  not  truly  become  one 
of  us,  then  we  shall  be  far  less  likely  to  love 
our  brethren.  "Therefore,"  would  John  say, 
"hold  to  this  matter  of  Christian  love  as 
something  which  the  errorists  would  certainly 
cheat  you  out  of,  or  render  impracticable." 
This  whole  point  illustrates  how  directly  a 
great  error  concerning  Christ  may  affect  one's 
religious  experience  and    life,  and    the  un- 


speakable importance  of  the  Christian  guard- 
ing himself  against  the  slightest  departure 
from  right  Christological  beliefs.  Many  de- 
« elvers  (whose  work  is  to  make  others  wan- 
der) are  entered  (rather,  oi-e  gone  forth, 
perhaps /7'om  ws,  as  in  1  John  2:  19)  into  the 
world.  In  doing  so  they  became  missionaries 
of  error.  Who  confess  not  (Revised  Ver- 
sion, "Even  they  that  confess  not")  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  come  {cometh)  in  the 
flesh.  Thus  denying  the  fact  and  even  the 
possibility  of  the  incarnation.  The  expression 
is  not  used  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ. 
This  {such  nn  one  as  just  described  ;  oStos  here 
nearly  equal  to  toioCtos,  as  in  1  John  2:  22, 
"Odes"  of  Pindar,  4,  38,  and  possibly  Matt. 
16:  18)  is  a  {the)  deceiver  and  an  {the) 
antichrist.  The  definite  article  is  expressed 
with  both  nouns  in  the  Greek.  The  one 
talked  of  and  warned  against  in  the  primitive 
teaching,  or  at  least  one  fulfilling  the  idea  of 
the  antichrist.  See  on  1  John  2:  18,  22;  4:  3. 
Here,  as  before,  is  evidence  that  an  antichrist 
is  not  one  who  denies  outright  the  Lord  .Jesus 
Christ,  but  one  who,  professing  to  receive 
Christ,  yet  denies  essential  things  about  him. 
It  is  one  who  teaches  Christ,  yet  not  the  Christ 
in  his  full  nature  and  ofiice.  It  is  evident, 
with  this  definition,  that  there  are  many  anti- 
christs still  in  the  world. 

8.  Look  to  yourselves.  Be  on  your  guard 
against,  beware  of,  yourselves.  (Piiii.  3:2.)  It 
is  possible  that  Cyria  and  her  children  may 
have  been  in  some  peculiar  danger,  may  have 
just  begun  to  come  short,  or  at  least  to  listen 
to  one  of  the  false  charmers.  Hence  his  sudden 
cry  of  warning,  designed  to  be  as  a  shock  to 
persons  on  the  very  edge  of  peril.  That  we 
(rather,  ye)  lose  not  "those  things  Avhich 
(or,  what)  we  (rather,  ye)  have  wrought. 
That  is,  in  the  past  for  their  own  salvation 
(Phil.  2:  12)  and  for  the  truth  (g  i.  2:  18)  among 
the  people.  Thefr  own  work  would  be  sub- 
verted, and  its  results  greatly  marred,  if  not 
annulled,  should  they  slide  into  the  vortex 
of  the  errorists,  whose  teaching,  as  truly  as 
that  of  the  Judaists  of  Galatia,   brought  in 


II.  JOHN. 


73 


9  Whosoever  trangrcsseth,  and   abideth   not  in  the  I    9  Whosoever  '  goeth  onward  and  abideth  not  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ,  hath  not  God.     lie  that  abidetli  in  |        teaching  of  Clirist,  hath  not  God:  he  that  auiilelh 

1  Or,  taketh  the  lead. 


another  guspel.  But  that  we  (rather,  ye) 
receive  a  full  reward.  A  reward  that  is 
full.  The  term  'full'  is  predicative  and  ein- 
phatic.  Their  adhesion  to  the  pure  trutli  of 
the  gospel,  especially  under  strong  tempta- 
tion, should  bring  them  the  fullest  reward  of 
life  and  joy,  beginning  in  this  world,  but 
perfected  in  the  next.  Every  Christian  who 
reaches  heaven  will  have  all  the  joy  he  can 
contain;  but  the  faithful,  growing  Christian 
will  have  a  capacity  for  a  far  larger  life  and 
joy  than  the  unfaithful  one,  and  in  that  re- 
spect enjoy  a  fuller  reward.  A  man  is  saved 
by  grace  through  faith,  but  he  is  rewarded  at 

last    according   to    his    works.       (l  Peter  l :  n  ;  Rom. 

2;  6;  Rev.  22:  12.)  The  sccond  person  has  been 
given  to  the  verbs  of  this  verse,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  latest  judgments  of  the  original 
text. 

9-13.  Doctrinal  Error  as  to  Christ  In- 
volves Atheism.     Trkatment  to  be  Ken- 

DERED    TO   THOSE  WHO    HoLD  THE  ErROR  OF 

Antichrist.      Fullness  of  John's  Heart 

TOWARD     THE     ABSENT     FaMILY     TO     WHOM 

HE  WRITES.  Greeting  from  Certain  of 
Cyria's  Kindred. 

There  is  a  wonderful  exhibition  of  both 
severity  and  tenderness  in  this  part  of  the 
Epistle;  severity  toward  the  errrorists,  ten- 
derness toward  the  truth-loving  Christian. 
A  side  of  John's  character  is  revealed  that  is 
sotiietimes  ignored.  It  is,  indeed,  the  truly 
tender  man  who  can  be  severe.  The  beloved 
disciple  was  a  son  of  thunder. 

9.  Whosoever  trail  sgres  seth,  and 
abideth  not  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ 
(the  doctrine  relating  to  Christ)  hath  not 
God  (himself).  The  word  'God'  is  in  the 
place  of  emphasis  in  the  Greek.  Any  radical 
departure  from  the  true  doctrine  of  Christ's 
nature  is  in  fact  atheism.  One  cannot  theo- 
rize against  Christ,  without  theorizing  against 
God.  He  who  rejects  Christ  rejects  the  God 
and  Father  of  Christ.  There  is  a  kind  of 
double  statement  of  the  errorists'  fault  in 
our  passage.  'Transgresseth  '  does  not  mean 
here  the  committing  of  sin  in  general,  but, 
in  etymological  strictness,  the  idea  of  going 
beyond,  or  going  before.     See  Kevised  Ver- 


sion. It  is  here  spoken  of  those  who  think 
the^-  have  gotten  before,  or  beyond,  others 
in  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  A  doctrinal  trans- 
gression is  meant,  a  getting  beyond  the  truth, 
a  heady  and  fruward  departure  from  the 
truth.  It  seems  to  be  a  fit  term  to  apply  to 
those  self-confident  progressives  in  all  ages, 
who  leave  behind  the  ortliodox  standards, 
deeming  them  outworn.  But  whosoever  gets 
ahead,  and  does  not  abide  in  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  is  a  false  progressive.  The  doctrine 
of  Christ  referred  to  by  Jt)lin  is,  as  the  con- 
nection suggests,  that  which  respects  his  per- 
son. The  true  doctrine  was  that  he  was  the 
eternal  son  of  God  come  in  real  flesh,  the 
Word  made  flesh,  living  as  one  of  us,  and 
having  a  real  human  r.^ture  as  well  as  very 
Deity.  Such  was  the  Crist  who  had  come  to 
save  men.  Nov/,  as  we  learn  in  the  first  Epis- 
tle as  well,  a  class  of  professed  Christian 
teachers  had  arisen,  who  denied  this  true  doc- 
trine, and  claimed  that  Christ  onh'  njypeared 
to  have  a  human  nature,  and  hence  was  in 
no  true  sense  incarnate.  It  was  a  species  of 
teaching  which  in  fact  overturned  the  Chris- 
tian system,  and  made  spiritual  life  and  love 
in  us  impossible.  If  true,  there  could  be  no 
such  thing  as  an  atonement  for  sin,  and  no 
su(!h  attainment  as  union  with  God,  since 
both  these  are  by  the  human  nature  of  Christ 
in  mysterious  connection  with  the  divine. 
More  than  this,  those  who  teach  these  things 
have  not  God.  Logically,  they  are  atheists. 
They  deny  the  God  in  Christ,  revealing  him- 
self by  Christ,  and  the  Father's  true  relation 
to  Christ;  and  they  deny  the  Father's  express 
revelation  concerning  the  person  of  Chri.st, 
thus  making  him  a  liar,  the  same  as  no  God. 
Nor  do  those  who  so  pervert  the  facts  of 
Christ's  person,  have  God  in  an  experimental 
sense.  They  dispossess  themselves  of  God 
practically  as  well  as  theoretically.  When 
one  departs  so  far  in  his  theory  he  is  not  a 
Christian.  What  an  illiberal  per.-on  this 
John  is  forsooth  !  Some  of  the  false  teachers 
referred  to  were  no  doubt  amiable  and  mor- 
ally consistent  persons;  yet  John  declares 
them  godless,  simply  because  they  d'-parted 
from  the  doctrine  of  Christ.    He  judged  them 


74 


II.   JOHN. 


the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he  hath  both  the  Father  and 
the  Son. 

lu  If  there  come  any  unto  you,  and  bring  not  this 
doctrine,  receive  him  not  into  your  house,  neither  bid 
him  Uod  sjieed : 

11  For  he  that  biddeth  him  God  speed  is  partaker  of 
his  evil  deeds. 


in  the  teaching,  the  same  hath  both  the  Father  and 

10  the  Sou.     If  any  one  Cometh  unto  you,  and  bringeth 
not  this  teaching,  receive  liim  not  into  your  house, 

11  and  give  him  no  greeting:  for  be  that  giveth  him 
greeting  partaketh  in  his  evil  works. 


by  their  views.  See  on  1  John  2:  23:  5 :  12. 
lie  that  abideth  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 

('Of  Clirist '  is  of  course  understood  from  what 
precedes,  though  the  words  are  not  in  the  best 
text.)  He  (see  use  of  outos  in  ver.  8)  hath 
both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  He  has  the 
Son  just  as  he  is,  and  he  who  thus  has  the  Son 
has  tiie  Father  also;  since  the  very  relation 
of  son  implies  a  father,  and  the  God-nature 
of  the  one  is  the  God-nature  of  the  other  ;  and 
he  who  has  taken  tiie  Son  as  he  is  has  taken 
the  Father's  word  concerning  him,  and  hence 
the  Father  himself.  Besides  the  natural  and 
and  spiritual  union  of  Father  and  ton  is  such 
that  he  who  trul^-  has  the  one  has  the  other. 
See  John  14:  6-9.  The  following  great  truths 
are  implied:  1.  The  incarnation  of  Christ  is 
the  very  basis  of  Christianity.  2.  Christ  has 
one  divine  nature  with  the  Father.  3.  Our 
doctrine  does  alFect  our  Christian  standing. 
How  important  John's  communication  to 
Cyria  in  this  brief  letter! 

10.  If  there  come  any  unto  you.  Better, 
as  in  the  Revised  Version,  If  any  one.  cometh 
to  you.  The  mood  (indicative)  shows  that 
the  case  is  not  merelj'  h3-pothetical.  Such 
persons  were  sure  to  come,  or  indeed  had 
already  come.  If  some  had  already  been 
entertained  by  C\'ria,  this  would  account  for 
the  sharpness  of  his  warning  in  ver.  8,  and 
make  more  natursil  the  great  directness  and 
emphasis  of  the  order  in  the  present  verse. 
The  home  of  Cj'ria  was  evidently-  a  hospita- 
ble one,  where  itinerant  ministers  were  wont 
to  find  entertainment.  Evangelists  and  teach- 
ers were  passing  from  church  to  church,  and 
from  place  to  place,  probably  much  more 
tlian  we  now  witness.  The  generous  family 
is  warned  against  receiving  to  their  home 
such  visitors  indiscriminately.  If  one  comes 
bearing  the  false  view  of  Christ  just  described, 
they  are  not  to  entertain  him.  John  tells 
them  this  with  apostolic  authority;  not  with 
spite  towards  the  deceivers,  but  in  the  interest 
of  the  precious  faith,  and  of  precious  friends. 
He  does  not  forbid  an  act  of  humanity  to  even 
a  false  teacher,  if  perishing  with  hunger  or 


sickness.  The  false  teacher  in  question  comes 
not  as  a  mendicant  for  food  and  shelter,  but 
as  a  Christian  minister,  to  receive  attention 
as  such;  in  which  case  he  is  not  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  hospitality,  for  that  would  be  to 
recognize  him  as  a  minister  of  Christ.  The 
woman's  house  was  a  temporary  home  of 
traveling  Christian  ministers.  The  neigh- 
bors, the  Church,  so  understood  it.  If  she 
had  there  the  false,  were  they  not  the  same 
to  her  as  the  true?  Did  she  not  indorse 
them?  Besides,  to  receive  them  would  be  to 
give  them  aid  and  comfort  in  their  perverse 
position,  and  encourage  them  in  feeling  that 
they  could  corrupt  the  gospel,  and  continue 
all  their  privileges.  "What  is  more,  they 
should  not  be  received,  because  their  coming 
miglit  vitiate  the  doctrines  of  the  family. 
"Evil  communications  corrupt  good  man- 
ners." (1  Cor.  15: 33.)  One  cauuot  touch  fire 
without  being  burned.  In  all  this  warning 
of  John  there  is  plainly  imjilied  the  duty  of 
separating  from  all  teachers  who  come  under 
the  iiead  of  antichrist  (see  notes  on  ver.  7), 
not  only  in  the  Church  but  outside  of  the 
Church.  This  is  a  "  withdrawal "'  that  means 
something.  Compare  1  Cor.  5:  11  ;  also  Rom. 
16:  17;  Gal.  1:  8,  9;  2  Thess.  3:  6,  14;  2  Tim. 
3:  5;  Titus  3:  10,  11.  Tiie  apostles  require  us 
to  be  very  decided  in  marking  and  avoiding 
those  who,  assuming  to  be  Christ's  servants, 
are  yet  destroying  the  Christian  system  by 
deceptive  teachings  or  gravely  defective  con- 
duct. Into  your  house  (literally,  into  house) 
— a  familiar  expression. 

II.  For  he  that  biddeth  him  God  speed 
(the  saine  word,  x""?^'"!  which  in  James  1:  1 
is  rendered  greeting,  in  the  Common  Version) 
is  pJirtaker  of  his  evil  deeds.  Compare 
Revised  Version.  The  fellowship  of  evil 
deeds,  in  all  their  enormity,  is  thus  estab- 
lished between  the  well-wisher  and  the  evil 
doer.  The  force  of  the  statement  is  obvious, 
and  its  argument  undoubted.  We  are  to 
avoid  every  act,  positive  or  negative,  imply- 
ing communit}'  with  antichrist.  Note  that 
John  calls  the  actsof  theerrorists  'evil  deeds.' 


II.  JOHN. 


7^ 


12  Having  many  things  to  write  unto  you,  I  would 
not  write  with  paper  and  ink :  but  I  trust  to  come  unto 
you,  and  speak  face  to  face,  that  our  joy  may  be  full. 


12  Having  many  things  to  write  unto  you,  I  would 
not  ic/ite  tlicm  vi'nU  paper  and  ink:  but  I  hojic  to 
come  uulo  you,  and  to  speak  lace  to  face,  that  your 


Their  perversion  of  the  true  doctrine  of  Christ 
was  as  really  an  evil  deed  as  any  common 
immorality.  "This  command  [in  ver.  10, 
11]  has  been  by  some  laid  to  the  fiery  and 
zealous  spirit  of  St.  John,  and  it  lias  been  said 
that  a  true  Christian  spirit  of  love  teaches  us 
otherwise.  But  as  rightly  understood,  we  see 
that  this  is  not  so.  Nor  are  we  at  liberty  to 
set  aside  direct  ethical  injunctions  of  the 
Lord's  apostles  in  this  manner.  Varieties  of 
individual  character  may  play  on  the  surface 
of  their  writings;  but  in  these  solemn  com- 
mands which  come  up  from  the  depths,  we 
must  recognize  the  power  of  that  one  Spirit 
of  truth  which  moved  them  all  as  one.  It 
would  have  been  infinitely  better  for  the 
Church  now,  if  this  command  had  been  ob- 
served in  all  ages  by  her  faithful  sons." 
(Alford.)  Let  all  our  people  be  firm  in  their 
attitude  of  avoidance  towards  those  who, 
boasting  the  name  of  Christians,  practically 
destroy  Christ.  So  doing  they  may  be  called 
illiberal,  but  they  will  carry  out  the  earnest 
injunction  of  John,  and  show  a  jealousy  for 
the  truth. 

12.  Having  passed  through  our  apostle's 
reminders  of  love  and  sound  doctrine,  and 
his  terrible  charge  as  to  the  errorists,  we  reach 
liis  full-hearted  concluding  wt)rds.  Having 
many  (emphatic)  tilings  to  write  to  you. 
To  write,  in  case  he  had  no  plan  or  hope  of 
soon  visiting  the  family.  John  was  one  who 
ill  the  glow  of  writing  had  a  perfect  crowd  of 
things  press  into  mind,  and  the  ardent  man 
had  to  exercise  a  very  determined  will  as  to 
what  to  omit  and  when  to  stop.  (John  21:25; 
3 John  13.)  I  would  not  wfite  (this  word 
understood,  but  not  expressed  in  the  Greek) 
with  paper  and  ink.  'Paper,'  the  Egyp- 
tian ])apyrus,  probably  the  so-called  Augus- 
tan or  Claudian.  This  and  the  'ink,'  com- 
monly made  of  soot  and  water,  thickened 
with  gum,  the  writing-reed  (a  John  is),  probably 
split,  were  the  New  Testament  writing  mate- 
rials. (Liicke.)  The  paper  was  prepared  by 
gluing  together  the  membranes  of  the  papy- 
rus plant,  reed,  or  flag.  Being  comparatively 
cheap,  it  superseded  earlier  materials  for 
writing,  such  as  lead  plates,  stones,  and  skins 
of  animals.     The   archaeologists  tell   us  that 


the  books  of  the  New  Testament  were  written 
at  first  on  this  preparation.  But  I  trust 
(rather,  hope)  to  come  (^yiviaBai,  not  iKOtlv) 
unto  you.  lie  speaks  with  caution.  lie  does 
not  know  certainly  that  the  way  will  be  open 
for  hiin  to  go.  But  he  trusts  it  will  be.  He 
is  making  plans  for  this.  He  submits,  how- 
ever, to  the  wider  plans  of  God.  The  inspi- 
ration of  the  apostles  applied  to  the  truth  in 
htind  which  they  were  communicating.  It 
did  not  imply  infinite  knovvledge.  About 
the  general  aftairs  of  life,  and  movements  be- 
fore them,  they  seem  to  have  had  the  same 
uncertainty  which  we  have  (Acts20:22),  and 
they  were  not  safe  against  mistakes  in  com- 
mon   actions.      (Oal.  2:   ll-U,   and  possibly   Acts  21:  26.) 

Whether  John's  hope  of  visiting  the  house  of 
Cyria  was  fulfilled  or  not,  we  have  no  means 
of  knowing.  Probably  it  Wiis.  And  to  speak 
face  to  face.  (Literally,  month  tn  month, 
not  an  English  idiom.)  While  the  old  apostle 
writes  to  the  beloved  family,  his  heart  warms, 
and  a  crowd  of  things  come  into  his  mind  of 
which  he  would  speak  for  their  instruction 
and  joy;  so  manj',  and  of  such  a  kind,  that 
he  cannot  do  justice  to  them  with  pen  jind 
paper.  He  must  wait  and  write  them  on  their 
hearts  with  the  living  tongue,  when  he  can 
help  his  expression  by  the  tones  of  his  voice, 
the  changes  of  his  countenance,  his  look  into 
their  eyes,  and  their  own  interposed  questions 
as  they  should  talk  "  mouth  to  mouth."  AVo 
would  like  to  have  some  of  those  many  things 
that  he  would  speak  to  them.  But  we  must 
conclude  that  his  feeling  that  for  the  rest  writ- 
ing was  inadequ-ite,  and  he  must  wait  for  the 
hour  of  personal  interview,  was  altogether  pro- 
vidential. He. had  written  all  that  it  was  best 
to  write  to  the  family  at  present,  all  that  it 
was  best  to  have  come  down  to  us  in  the  let- 
ter. For  the  Spirit  who  inspired  John  fore- 
saw that  it  was  to  be  for  us  as  well  as  for  those 
near  in  time  and  place.  The  Spirit  ordered 
that  this  writer  should  close  just  wliere  he 
did.  In  the  New  Testament  there  is  neither 
too  much  nor  too  little  for  our  highest  disci- 
pline, howbeit  a  thousand  things  are  left  there 
unsaid  about  which  we  have  curiosity.  The 
wisdom  of  God  is  as  truly  exercised  in  the 
omissions  and  silences  of  Scripture  as  in  the 


76 


II.  JOHN. 


13  The  children  of  thy  elect  sister  greet  thee.  Amen. 


13  joy  may  be  made  full, 
sister  salute  tbee. 


The  children  of  thine  elect 


things  said.  That  our  (whether  this  should 
be  'our'  or  your,  the  authority  is  about 
equally  balanced)  joy  may  be  full.  Filled 
up,  made  utterly  complete.  See  1  John  1  : 
4,  and  notes  thereon.  The  cause  of  the  joy 
in  the  present  case  will  be  both  the  personal 
presence  of  the  apostle  (Bengel),  and  the  full 
communication  of  the  truth  in  oral  discourse* 
(Braune. )  Personal  meeting  would  be  an 
occasion  of  mutual  refreshment  and  joy. 
(Rom.  1:  12;  15: 32.)  And  then  the  ministry  of 
the  word  of  life,  in  such  fullness  and  power 
as  would  come  of  a  personal  visit,  would  stim- 
ulate the  family's  joy  to  the  highest  pitch. 
To  promote  Christian  joy  is  of  itself  a  worthy 
end  of  a  gospel  ministry  (2Cor.  i:  24),  and  must 
not  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  proportional  division 
of  the  word  to  the  people,  and  in  the  meetings 
of  the  church.  In  the  word  of  truth  and  in 
the  communion  of  saints  are  the  highest  con- 
ditions of  spiritual  joy. 

13.  The  children  of  thy  elect  sister 
('elect'  is  emphatic)  greet  (sr/^M^e)  thee.  On 
the  meaning  of  this  epithet,  and  the  inference 
from  its  use  in  case  of  more  than  one  person 
in  the  same  letter,  see  on  ver.  1.  It  was 
customary  for  the  apostles,  in  writing  to 
individuals  or  churches,  to  communicate  the 
loving  greetings  of  fellow-Christians  who 
might  be  at  hand  when  they  were  writing. 
We  judge  that  it  was  a  common  thing  for 
the  early  Christians  to  send  salutations  to 
their  absent  brethren  and  sisters.  The  closing 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans  affords 


a  remarkable  instance.  In  such  salutations, 
both  in  their  source  and  destination,  there  is 
an  individualizing  of  Christians,  and  a  mark- 
ing of  their  personal  prominence  in  Christ. 
Christianity  honors  and  brings  out  the  indi- 
vidual. Compare  John  10:  3.  The  present 
salutation  was  for  Cyria  in  particular;  and  it 
came  from  the  children  of  her  own  sister, 
both  according  to  the  flesh,  and  in  Christ. 
These  children  seem  to  have  been  near  John, 
in  his  very  society.  Very  likely  John  was 
stopping  with  them  when  he  wrote.  It  is 
supposed  that  the  sister  herself  was  dead  ; 
or  she  may  have  been  living  away  at  the 
time.  But  the  ,  Christian  children  remem- 
bered their  Christian  aunt,  and  sent  her 
their  greeting  with  John's  message.  This 
greeting,  like  all  the  salutations  which  trav- 
eled from  one  Christian  to  another  in  tliose 
primitive  times,  was  more  than  a  formality, 
more  than  a  good  wish.  It  was  an  assurance 
of  continued  spiritual  fellowship;  it  was  a 
greeting  in  recognition  of  a  common  union 
in  the  Lord.  A  spiritual  emotion  went  out 
with  it  to  the  party  saluted,  such  as  can  arise 
in  one  regenerate  heart  towards  another  that 
abides  faithful.  It  was  a  motion  of  the  Spirit 
from  one  heart  to  another,  strengthening  the 
bond  of  fellowship  and  increasing  Christian 
joy.  It  was  one  of  Gjd's  beautiful  ministries 
of  brotherly  love.  The  amen  of  the  old 
Received  Text  and  the  Common  Version, 
should  undoubtedly  be  omitted. 


THE  THIRD  EPISTLE  OF  JOHN. 


THE  elder  unto  the  well  beloved  Gains,  whom  I  love  I    1      The  elder  unto  Gaius  the  beloved,  whom  I  love 
in  the  truth.  in  truth. 


1-4.  The  Writer's  Affectionate  Ad- 
dress TO  Gaius;  His  Good  "Wishes  for 
Him,  and  His  Joy  in  Reference  to  Him. 

1.  The  elder.  See  on  2  John  1.  The 
writer  identifies  himself  by  an  ordinary,  not 
an  extraordinary,  title,  by  which,  appar- 
ently, he  was  particularly  well  known,  and 
long  known  ;  and  hence  the  article.  John 
was  an  apostle,  selected  by  Jesus  when  on 
earth.  But  he  does  not  choose  to  mention 
the  honor  or  authority  derived  from  that 
office.  It  was  particularly  necessary  for 
Paul,  in  his  epistles,  to  assert  his  apostleship, 
because,  having  been  appointed  thereto  after 
Christ  had  withdrawn  to  heaven,  his  title  to 
the  office  was  often  denied  by  unfriendly 
parties.  The  title,  or  heading,  which  ascribes 
our  Epistle  to  John,  and  makes  it  the  third  in 
order,  is  found  in  some  of  the  oldest  manu- 
scripts, as  indeed  are  those  of  the  First  and 
Second  Epistles,  and  is  a  testimony  of  much 
weight  as  to  its  supposed  origin.  There  is  an 
air  of  authority,  a  supervising  interest,  and  a 
certain  absoluteness  in  the  teaching  of  our 
Epistle,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  preceding 
one,  which  most  powerfully  suggests  an  apos- 
tolic, rather  than  merely  presbyterial,  origin. 
Can  we  imagine  any  one  short  of  an  apostle 
saying  such  words  as  we  find  in  ver.  10  and. 
12  of  our  Epistle,  and  in  ver.  7  and  10  of  the 
second?  And  then  the  manner,  the  peculiar 
thinking,  the  theological  conception,  the 
spirit,  of  John  the  apostle,  impress  them- 
selves upon  us  almost  everywhere  in  these 
Epistles.  To  (writing  to,  making  address 
to)  Gaius.  Same  as  the  Latin  Cains.  Where 
he  lived  we  do  not  know,  probabl}'  in  Asia 
Minor,  away  from  Ephesus,  and  on  a  thor- 
oughfare naturally  taken  by  missionaries 
going  to  remote  parts,  (ver.  6.)  He  was  a 
man  of  prominence,  able  not  only  to  enter- 
tain, but  to  help  on  their  way,  traveling 
evangelists.  There  was  a  Gaius  of  Corinth 
(1  Cor.  1:14),  whom  Paul  baptized,  and  who 
was  pre-eminently  hospitable.  (Rom.  i6:  23.) 
There  was  a  Gaius  of  Macedonia  (Acts  i9: 29), 


a  missionary  companion  of  Paul.  There  was 
a  Gaius  of  Derbe  (aoi8  20:4),  who  went  with 
Paul  and  Timothy  on  at  least  one  of  their 
evangelizing  visits.  It  is  the  conjecture  of 
several  that  this  latter  was  the  one  addressed 
by  John.  Ver.  4  makes  this  somewhat  doubt- 
ful. Besides,  there  was  a  long  space  of  j-cars 
between  Paul's  era  and  the  time  at  which  John 
is  writing.  The  name  was  one  of  the  com- 
monest. (Alford.)  One  of  the  names  is  given 
in  the  "Apostolic  Constitutions"  as  Bisiiop 
of  Pergamos.  The  well  beloved.  A  strong 
and  most  enviable  distinguishing  title,  mark- 
ing a  character  by  which  he  was  generally 
and  cordially  known.  The  term  is  not  a 
passive  participle,  but  an  adjective  denoting 
a  quality,  characteristic,  or  activit3'  of  that  to 
which  it  is  applied.  (Kiihner  ?  234,  1,  i. ; 
Winer  §  16,  3,  4tli  ed.)  It  means  lovely,  lov- 
able; and  hence  beloved  by  all  those  sympa- 
thizing in  his  Christian  traits.  He  was  a  lovely 
Christian.  Grace  had  exercised  a  softening, 
refining  influence  upon  him.  He  was  for- 
bearing and  benevolent;  he  was  spiritually 
minded  and  peaceful.  His  face  was  a  bene- 
diction; his  voice  chastened  and  assuring. 
He  drew  to  himself  the  tender  regard  of  his 
brethren,  and  was  a  delight  to  Christ.  Whom 
I  (emphatic)  love.  Loved  in  general,  John 
loved  him  in  particular.  Nor  is  he  afraid  to 
tell  him  so.  In  the  truth.  Not  truly,  but  in 
the  truth-element,  in  truth  as  a  living  system 
or  principle,  reflecting  and  involving  the 
divine  nature.  The  words  express  the  nature, 
ground,  and  sphere  of  John's  love  to  Gaius. 
It  is  not  an  earthly  love,  having  a  temporary 
inspiration  or  reason.  The  truth  of  God  had 
become  a  living  element  of  the  soul,  both  in 
Gaius  and  in  John.  John  loved  Gaius  be- 
cause he  discerned  in  him,  in  a  marked 
degree,  the  true  life  of  Christ  which  he 
realized  in  himself.  He  felt  a  union  with 
him  in  the  new  life.  There  was  between 
them  a  common  experience  of  God.  This 
was  love  in  the  heavenly  sense,  and  without 
end.     What  a  lesson  in  the  understanding  of 

77 


78 


III.  JOHN. 


2  Beloved,  I  wish  above  all  things  that  thou  raayest 
prosper  ai;d  be  in  health,  evea  as  tliy  soul  prospereth. 

3  i-'or  1  rejoiced  greatly,  when  the  brc^thren  came  and 
testified  of  the  truth  that  is  in  tliee,  even  as  thou 
wallcest  in  the  truth. 


2  Beloved,  I  pray  that  in   all  things  thou  mayest 
prosper  and  be  in  health,  even  as  tliy  soul  prosper- 

3  eth.     For  li  rejoiced  greatly,  when  brethren  came 
and  bare  witness  unto  thy  truth,  even  as  thou  walk- 


1  Or,  rejoice  greatly  when  brethren  come  and  hear  witness. 


brotherly  love!  In  the  conception  of  John, 
love,  truth,  and  life  appear  to  be  a  kind  of 
trinity,  each  in  all,  and  all  in  each,  and  to- 
gether forming  the  unity  of  the  light  (iJohni:o) 
of  God,  into  which  we  enter  in  regeneration. 

2.  Beloved.  John's  soul  clings  to  Gains, 
and  he  cannot  let  go  the  epithet.  The  idea  it 
represents  grows  vivid  as  he  writes.  I  wish 
above  all  things  that  (better,  I  pray  that  in 
all  things,  Revised  Version)  thou  mayest 
prosper  (recognizing  an  agency  in  the  pros- 
perity above  that  of  Gaius  himself),  and  be 
in  health.  In  literal  bodily  health.  The 
phrase  'in'  (or  concerning)  "all  things" 
(not  "above  all  things,"  which  would  seem 
to  elevate  the  temporal  above  the  spiritual) 
probably  belongs  exclusively  to  the  first  verb. 
Some  have  thought  that  because  John  prays 
for  the  heiiltii  of  Gaius,  the  latter  must  have 
been  sick  at  the  time  this  letter  was  written. 
There  is  no  need  of  supposing  this.  It  is  as 
fitting  to  desire  the  good  health  of  a  well  per- 
son as  that  of  a  sick  person.  John  knew  that 
the  Christian  is  liable  to  bodily  sicknesses, 
and  he  wishes  that  his  brother  beloved  may 
be  exempt  from  them  as  far  as  possible.  Sick- 
ness may  be  sanctified  to  us;  but  sound  health 
is  a  good  in  itself,  for  which — as  for  general 
temporal  prosperitj' — it  is  right  to  pray.  In 
sound  health  we  have  more  personal  comfort, 
and  can  accomplish  more.  It  is  not  an  unim- 
portant fact  that  Christianity  authorizes  us  to 
tlesire  for  one  another  not  only  temporal  pros- 
perity in  general,  but  good  physical  health  in 
particular.  Even  as  thy  soul  prospereth. 
In  the  same  relative  measure.  John  knows 
from  the  most  satisfactory  testimony  (ver.  3) 
that  the  soul  of  Gaius  is  prospering,  that  he  is 
spiritually  sound  in  condition  and  experience, 
and  he  prays  that  his  temporal  life  may  be 
equally  prosperous,  in  an  equally  sound  con- 
dition. The  soul  prosperity'  of  the  Christian 
is  made  the  mea^sure  of  his  other  prosperity. 
Has  any  one  a  right  to  expect  more?  But, 
alas!  what,  upon  this  measure,  would  be  the 
outward  prosperity  of  the  sinner,  whose  spir- 
itual condition  is  well  described  in  Isa.  1 : 
5,  6?    And  of  many  professed  Christians  it 


might  be  said  that  if  the  prayer  of  John  were 
made  for  them,  according  to  the  standard  in 
the  case  of  Gaius,  they  would  have  only  sick- 
ness and  misfortune.  Perhaps  not  many 
would  willingly  consent  to  have  their  health 
and  worldly  success  measured  in  this  way. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  gauging  of  the 
health  of  some  in  the  Corinthian  Church  to 
this  standard,  as  a  matter  of  judgment.  ('  Cor. 
11:30.)  But  Gaius  could  not  sutler  by  this 
measure. 

3.  For  {yap^yi  apa,  the  causal  demonstra- 
tive, while  oTi  is  the  causal  relative;  its  reten- 
tion in  the  text  is  demanded  by  both  internal 
and  external  evidence)  introduces  confir- 
mation of  the  statement  of  the  soul  prosperity 
of  Gaius.  The  confirmation  lies  not  in  his 
joy,  but  in  the  testimony  of  visiting  brethren, 
and  on  account  of  this  he  rejoices;  and  he 
puts  joy  and  testimony  all  together  in  one 
heart-full  utterance.  I  rejoiced  greatly. 
See  2  John  4.  He  is  intensely  emotional  down 
to  old  age,  and  we  love  him  for  it.  When 
the  brethren  came  ('the'  before  'brethren' 
is  not  in  the  Greek  text).  They  came  at  suc- 
cessive times,  and  probably  more  than  one  set 
of  them,  thus  making  the  testimony  very 
ample.  And  testified  of  the  truth  (liter- 
ally, tinto  thy  truth,  Revised  Version)  that 
is  in  thee.  The  truth  belonging  to,  and  dis- 
tinguishing thee.  The  brethren  were  doubt- 
less evangelists,  or  missionaries.  Compare 
ver.  5-8.  It  is  a  simple  term  which  Paul  is 
pleased  often  to  apply  to  such  workers,     i^icor. 

16:  12;  '2  Cor.  9 :  3  ;  11:9;  Gal.  1  :  2,  etc.)    The  trUth  wliich 

belonged  to  Gaius,  and  was  so  amply  wit- 
nessed, was  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God 
vitalized  in  personal  experience  and  made  a 
part  of  him.  This  truth  is  a  reflection,  or 
eflux,  of  the  divine  nature,  and  he  who  re- 
ceives it  will  not  only  be  sound  in  belief,  but 
will  have  a  soul  conforming  to  God.  The 
truth  is  in  him,  not  as  a  mere  abstraction,  not 
as  a  mere  creed,  but  as  a  life  of  God.  Even 
as  thou  Avalkest  in  the  truth.  'In  truth' 
(not  the  truth)  is  not  truly,  but  in  the  truth 
element  or  sphere.  The  brethren  had  evi- 
dence that  the  truth  was  in  Gaius  from  the 


III.  JOHN. 


79 


4  I  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  hear  that  my  children 
walk  in  truth. 

5  Beloved,   thou   doest   faithfully    whatsoever    thou 
doest  to  the  brethren,  and  to  strangers; 


4  est  in  truth.    Greater  joy  have  I  none  than  •  this 
to  hear  of  my  children  «alkiii>;  in  the  Irulh. 

5  Beloved,  thou  doesl  a  faithful  work  in  whatsoever 


1  Or,  these  tbiagi),  that  I  may  hear. 


way  he  walked  in  it,  from  his  daily  life,  from 
his  deeds  of  love.  (2Johii4:5.)  "Yeshallknow 
them  by  their  fruits."  (Matt.7:i6.)  The  action 
of  Gains  was  that  of  one  who  knew  and  felt 
the  truth  in  his  heart.  He  uttered  the  views, 
he  illustrated  the  obedience,  he  showed  the 
charity,  of  a  man  created  anew  in  Christ. 
Tliese  things  were  manifested  spontaneously, 
as  if  connected  with  a  life  within.  So  tliat 
the  fact  of  this  life  was  iinpressed  upon  others. 
Men  went  away  from  him,  not  in  doubt  or 
suspense  about  his  spiritual  standing  and 
attainments.  They  were  even  constrained  to 
speak  of  the  case.  Tliey  bore  a  glad  report 
of  it  to  John.  And  John,  on  his  part,  was 
made  to  rejoice  exceedingly  on  account  of  it. 
How  enviable  was  the  Christian  position  of 
Gains!  How  high  the  commendati"n  he  re- 
ceived! What  better  thing  could  be  said  of 
him?  He  was  a  man  in  whom  the  divine 
truth  lived,  a  tangible  proof  of  Christianity', 
a  convincing  evidence  that  the  life  of  God, 
through  Christ,  had  come  to  men!  He  who 
once  was  a  dark,  lost  sinner  was  now  a  shin- 
ing light.  Men  took  knowledge  of  him  that 
he  had  been  with  Jesus  and  learned  of  him. 

4.  I  have  no  greater  joy,  etc.  'Greater' 
in  the  Greek  is  the  comparative  of  a  compara- 
tive, such  as  is  sometimes  formed  "for  the 
sake  of  emphasis."  (Buttmann.)  The  best 
authorized  text  may  be  translated  .nearly  lit- 
erally: Greater  joy  have  I  none  than  these 
things.  This  distributes  the  emphasis  accord- 
ing to  the  expressive  Greek,  and  correctly 
locates  the  negative,  with  no  loss  to  the  style. 
To  hear  that,  etc.  (iVa,  explicative,  says 
Alford,  as  constantly  in  John  after  the  dem- 
onstrative pronoun  ;  introducing,  says  Light- 
foot,  the  clause  which  describes  the  purport  of 
the  pronoun  ;  but  in  the  older  classical  Greek 
always  denoting  motive  or  design).  Literall.y, 
that  I  hear  of  tny  children  walking  in  truth. 
Walk  (continuouslj^,  habitually)  in  truth, 
Revised  Version  "in  the  truth."  Here  John 
justifies  his  exceeding  joy  in  Gains'  case,  and 
tells  what  his  habit  of  feeling  was  with  regard 
to  all  his  well-doing  children,  as  well  as  Gaius. 
It  is  implied  that  Gaius  was  one  of  his  chil- 


dren, explaining  his  peculiar  interest  in  him. 
It  shows  the  wideness  of  John's  personal 
interest,  in  that  it  extended  to  many  besides 
Gaius.  The  deepest  meaning  of  'children' 
requires  that  those  referred  to  be  persons  con- 
verted through  the  agency' of  John,  (icor.4: 
15 ;  1  Tim.  I ;  2 ;  phiiem.  10.)  Yet,  as  an  old  man  and 
a  kind  of  chief  pastor,  he  doubtle.ss  reckoned 
as  his  children  all  the  Christians  in  that  region. 
He  felt  an  interest  and  love  for  them,  as  a 
fjither  for  his  children.  This,  in  part,  made 
liim  joyful  to  hear  good  things  about  them. 
He  specifies  the  good  in  them  that  above  ail 
else  made  him  glad:  their  walking  in  the 
truth  as  the  element  of  their  spiritual  being, 
the  bound  of  all  their  living;  the  patent  fact 
that  they  both  led  the  life  and  honored  the 
doctrines  of  the  truth.  "While  others  about 
them  might  fall  into  grievous  sin  or  error,  they 
were  steadfast  in  the  truth.  Others  (2 John 7) 
might  deny  the  incarnation  of  Christ,  with 
the  involved  facts  of  atonement  and  our 
union  with  God,  but  they  remained  true. 
Others  might  violate  the  law  of  brotherly 
love,  yet  they  were  faithful.  This  would  give 
the  apostle  unspeakable  delight.  'I  have  no 
greater  joy,'  he  said.  For  he  therein  .saw  his 
Master  honored,  his  own  ministry  not  in  vain, 
his  own  spiritual  children  having  the  greatest 
good,  and,  in  place  of  being  a  stumbling  block 
in  the  way  of  the  gospel,  giving  stimulus  to 
other  Christians  and  affording  the  best  evi- 
dence that  the  gospel  is  true.  Such  walking 
produces  joy  in  God  himself,  in  the  angels, 
and  in  all  shepherds  of  the  flock  on  earth. 
But  if  there  be  such  joy  in  us  over  those  near 
to  us  who  walk  in  the  truth,  what  must  be  the 
pain  when  dear  ones  turn  aside  from  the  truth 
in  doctrine  or  life?  There  is  no  greater  pain 
than  this.  How  cruel  are  they  who  thus 
pierce  and  crush  the  hearts  of  anj'  who  are 
watching  solicitously  for  their  souls  ! 

5-8.    COMMEXDATION      OF    GaIUS    FOR    HIS 

Kindness  to  Missionary  Brethren. 

5.  Beloved.  The  lovely  character  of  Gaius 
is  still  before  him;  his  heart  still  glows  with 
love  towards  him.  This  is  the  third  time,  in 
the  course  of  five  verses,  that  John  has  ap- 


80 


III.  JOHN. 


6  Which  have  borue  witness  of  thy  charity  before 
the  church :  whom  if  thou  bring  forward  on  their 
journey  after  a  godly  sort,  thou  shalt  do  well: 


thou  doest  toward  them  that  are  brethren  and  stran- 

6  gers  withal;  who  bear  witness  to  thy  love   before 

the  church  :  whom  thou  wilt  do  well  to  set  forward 


plied  this  term  toGaius;  besides  a  direct  as- 
sertion that  he  loved  him.  The  intensity  of 
his  affection  is  most  marked.  And  the  basis, 
the  common  condition,  in  both  the  lover  and 
the  loved,  is  purely  spiritual.  Thou  doest 
faithfully  whatsoever  thou  doest  to  the 
brethreu  and  to  strangers.  The  Revised 
Version  translates,  "Thou  doest  a  faithful 
work" — that  is,  a  work  worthy  of  faithful 
men  and  men  of  faith,  faithful  to  the  claims 
of  the  case,  and  done  in  a  faithful  spirit.  '  In 
whatsoever  thou  doest  (the  aorist  tense  shows 
that  a  real  past  work  is  in  mind)  to  the  breth- 
ren and  to  strangers.'  The  Revised  Version 
renders  this  "Toward  them  that  are  brethren 
and  strangers  withal."  The  Bible  Union 
Version  reads,  "To  the  brethren  and  that  to 
strangers."  The  idea  is  that  they  were  breth- 
ren and  at  the  same  time  strangers  to  Gaius. 
Brethren  they  were  who  had  been  on  a  mis- 
sionary expedition  in  regions  beyond  where 
Gaius  lived.  John  had  dispatched  some  evan- 
gelists to  a  somewhat  remote  field.  On  their 
way,  thej'  call  upon  the  church  of  which 
Gaius  is  a  member,  bearing  with  them  a  letter 
to  the  church  from  John.  The  church, 
through  the  influence  of  a  prominent  ambi- 
tious member,  or  probably  officer,  declines  to 
receive  the  letter  or  the  brethren.  But  Gaius, 
on  his  own  individual  responsibilit}',  takes 
them  to  his  home,  cares  for  them,  and  for- 
wards them  on  their  gospel  journey  in  a  man- 
ner worthy  of  their  calling  as  messengers  of 
God.  'Strangers'  to  Gaius,  they  yet  had 
come  indorsed  and  commended  by  John, 
were  on  a  blessed  mission,  were  brethren  in 
the  Lord,  and  no  man  or  company  could  hin- 
der him  from  treating  them  accordingly^.  He 
gave  them  his  confidence,  his  love,  his  home, 
and  his  help.  This  was,  in  the  largest  sense, 
Christian  hospitality.  For  this  John  cotn- 
mends  him,  as  he  had  before  commended 
bim  for  his  truth  and  walk.  What  is  hospital- 
ity as  enjoined  in  the  New  Testament?  It  is 
kindness  to  strangers,  especially  those  who  are 
Christians.  It  is  showing  them  first  a  lov- 
ing spirit,  and  then,  if  needful,  affording  them 
service  and  help.  It  is  something  which  the 
apostles  have  often  brought  to  our  attention. 

(Eom.  12:  13;  Heb.  13:  2;  1  Fetei-4:  9,  10.)       In    the    Epis- 


tles  to  Timothy  and  Titus,  it  is  laid  down 
among  the  qualifications  of  an  elder  that  he 
should  be  "given  to  hospitality."  (i  Tim. 3:2: 
Titus  1:8.)  But  thc  passages  just  cited  show 
that  this  gospel  grace  and  duty  should  be  by 
no  means  limited  to  the  elders.  It  is  required 
of  all.  Even  the  poor  man,  though  he  has 
no  "prophet's  chamber."  can  manifest  the 
hospitable  spirit.  The  coming  of  a  Christian 
stranger  has  brought  a  benediction  to  one's 
home  and  heart.  See  1  Kings  17:  3-24;  2 
Kings  4:  8-37;  8:  1-6;  compare  2  Sam.  6  : 
10,  11.  A  genuine  hospitality  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  gainful  duties  to  God's 
children.  Gaius  was  blessed  for  his  deed,  by 
John's  approval  at  least.  Be  kind  to  God's 
children  because  they  are  his.  You  will  be 
blessed  in  your  souls,  and,  very  likely,  in 
basket  and  store.  "With  what  measure  ye 
mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." 
(Matt.  7:2.)  "  Good  measiire,  pressed  down, 
and  shaken  together,  and  running  over,  shall 
men  give  into  your  bosom."  (i.ukee:  as.)  He 
that  giveth  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  disciple, 
in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  shall  not  lose  his 
reward.  (Matt,  lo:  42;  Mark9: 4i.)  "  Inasiiiuch," 
said  Jesus,  "as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of 
the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done 
it  unto  me."  (Matt.25:  40.)  Any  kindness  we 
do  to  a  Christian,  is  regarded  by  Christ  as 
done  to  him.self. 

6.  Which  (or,  who — namely,  the  stranger- 
brethren  having  returned  to  John)  have 
borne  witness  (literally,  bore  witness)  of 
thy  charity  (or,  love)  before  the  church — 
akin  to  our  expression,  "in  church,"  or  "in 
meeting."  It  is  the  church  where  John  was 
living  when  he  wrote  this  letter.  The  'charitN',' 
or  love,  referred  to  is  that  manifested  in  Gaius' 
hospitality.  That  hospitality  was  Christian 
love  in  action,  and  one  of  the  best  exhibitions 
of  it.  It  seems  to  have  been  an  established 
custom  for  the  missionaries  going  out  ivon\ 
anj-  church  to  return  to  it  in  due  time,  and 
report  their  experience  while  absent  in  their 
work.  Thus  Paul  and  Barnabas  returned  to 
the  church  in  Antioch,  whence  they  had  gone 
forth,  and  reported  all  that  the  Lord  had  done 
with  them.  So  apparently  did  the  brethren 
of  our  Epistle,  and  in  their  narrative  declared 


III.  JOHN. 


81 


7  Because  that  for  his  name's  sake  they  went  forth, 
taking  nothing  of  the  Gentiles. 

8  We  therefore  ought  to  receive  such,  that  we  might 
be  fellow  helpers  to  the  truth. 


7  on  their  journev  worthily  of  God:  because  that  for 
the  sake  of  the  Name  tlicy  went  forth,  taking  notb- 

8  ing  of  the  Gentiles.    We  therefore  ought  to  welcome 
such,  that  we  may  be  fellow-workers  fur  the  truth. 


their  experience  at  the  hands  of  Gaius.  It 
was  good  for  the  whole  assembled  church  to 
hear  the  story  of  such  love.  They  would 
thank  God  on  this  behalf  and  be  stimulated 
by  the  example.  Whom  if  thou,  etc.  Bet- 
ter, '^  ivhom  thou  wilt  do  well  to  set  forward 
on  their  journey  worthily  of  Ood."  (Revised 
Version.)  Having  sent  them  forward  on 
their  mission  in  a  manner  wliich  they  are 
worthy  of  as  God's  messengers,  Gaius  had 
been  tlie  more  earful  to  supply  them  for  their 
journey,  and  do  them  honor  as  tliey  departed, 
because  of  the  nature  of  their  mission  and  the 
Being  they  were  serving.  He  treated  the  am- 
bassadors ro3'ally  for  the  sake  of  the  King 
who  sent  them.  And  so  the  action  toward 
tlie  brethren  became  piety,  and  a  divine 
honor.  To  send  them  forward  in  such  a  man- 
ner was  well-doing,  an  act  of  beauty  (koAws). 
It  had  been  so  in  the  present  case.  It  would 
and  will  be  so  in  all  like  cases.  So  much  is  ex- 
pressed by  the  combination  of  the  future  and 
the  aorist  tenses  of  the  verbs  in  the  text. 
Having  sent  them  forward  thus,  thou  wilt  do 
well,  whether  then,  or  whenever  done.  The 
future  states  here  a  permanent  fact,  or  princi- 
ple. Alford  says  :  "  It  will  then,  and  not  till 
then,  be  a  good  act,  when  it  is  done." 

7.  Because  that  for  his  name's  sake 
(rather,  "/or*  the  sake  of  the  name")  they 
went  forth.  The  language  of  this  verse  is 
introduced  to  strengthen  the  statement  that  it 
was  well-doing  to  help  forward  the  brethren, 
and  to  develop  the  supreme  motive  of  the 
kindness  shown.  The  assisted  brethren  were 
in  the  service  of  a  certain  'Name,'  and  they 
were  not  to  receive  anything  of  the  people  to 
whom  they  were  going.  The  latter  considera- 
tion made  the  act  of  Gaius  necessary  ;  the 
former  made  it  a  gladness,  and  a  glory.  The 
'Name'  is  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  (Act55:4i;9: 
16;  15:  26;  Rom.  1: 5.)  It  was  in  behalf  of  this 
Name,  to  proclaim  it  and  the  salvation  which 
it  represented,  to  exalt  it  in  the  eyes  of  men, 
and,  if  need  be,  to  die  for  it,  that  all  the  early 
preachers  of  the  gospel  went  forth.  It  was 
that  Name  that  summarized  the  gospel,  called 
a  world  to  repent,  and  thrilled  believers  as 
with  a  note  from  heaven.     It  was  the  inspira- 


tion of  the  great  movement,  and  supplied  the 
highest  motive  to  all  manner  of  co-i>i)(;ration. 
Taking  nothing  (tiie  word,  /xjjSec,  implies 
not  merely  a  matter  of  fact,  but  a  principle 
on  the  part  of  the  evangelists  themselves) 
from  the  heathen.  It  was  their  plan  to  re- 
ceive nothing  for  themselves  from  the  h(!athen 
whom  they  would  evangel iz;e.  Hence  their 
support  must  come  from  other  sources,  espe- 
cially from  churches  already  established,  or 
from  friends  in  them  such  as  Gaius  was.  And 
so  the  deed,  recalled  in  ver.  6,  was  good.  The 
case  appears  to  teach  that  missionaries  going 
to  evangelize  a  heathen  people  should  go  with 
their  support  already  provided  for.  Thi.s  jus- 
tifies an  essential  policy  of  the  modern  mis- 
sionary movement,  and  indicates  the  claim 
resting  upon  the  settled  churches  to  aid  in 
the  support  of  missionaries  abroad.  In  the 
story  of  Gaius,  let  the  churches  read  both 
their  duty  and  privilege  in  relation  to  the 
missionary  cause.  Our  Epi-stle  may  be  called 
the  missionary  epistle.  It  brings  before  us  a 
band  of  laborers  going  to  the  heathen,  the 
Name  they  go  to  proclaim  or  to  die  for,  and 
the  source  whence  their  support  should  be 
derived. 

8.  We  therefore  (in  contrast  to  the  hea- 
then) ought  to  receive  (to  undertake  for,  to 
support)  such.  Not  only  the  particular 
brethren  sent  forward  by  Gaius,  but  others 
serving  the  same  Name  abroad,  and  in  similar 
need.  That  we  might  (may)  be  (literally, 
become)  fellow-helpers  to  the  truth..  The 
Revised  Version  reads,  "fellow-workers  with 
the  truth,"  but  the  meaning  is  probably  "fel- 
low-workers for  the  truth,"  as  in  the  Bible 
Union  Version.  Those  who  receive  well  the 
preacher  or  missionary,  and  further  him  in  his 
work,  are  co-workers  with  him  in  spreading 
abroad  the  gospel  of  God.  The  kind  helper  of 
the  preacher  is  in  one  sense  a  preacher.  The 
supporter  of  the  missionary  of  the  cro.«s  is 
himself  a  missionary.  He  who  goes  and  he 
who  sends  are  one  in  the  work  of  the  Great 
Commission.  "We  see  in  Gaius  the  beautiful 
example  of  one  who  fully  sympathized  with 
the  work  of  the  gospel.  It  was  his  love  of  the 
gospel  thai  made  him  so  kind  to  its  servants, 


82 


III.  JOHN. 


9  I  wrote  unto  the  church:  but  Diotrephes,  who 
lovet.h  to  have  the  preeniiueirce  aiuoug  them,  receiveth 
Us  not. 

•  10  Wherefore,  if  I  coiue,  I  will  remember  his  deeds 
which  he  doeth,  prating  against  us  with  malicious 
words:   and  not  content  therewith,  neither  doth  he 


9  I   wrote  somewhat   unto  the  church :   but   Diotre- 
phes, who  loveth  to  have  the  preeminence  among 
10  them,   receiveth   us  not.    Therefore,   if   1  come,  1 
will   bring  to    remembrance   his   works   which   he 
doeth,  prating  against  us  with  wicked  words :  and 


SO  ready  to  further  them  on  their  way.  His 
deed  was  done  us  if  to  Christ,  and  he  was 
regarded  as  if  a  bearer  of  the  trutli  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth. 

9-14.  Diotrephes  Characterized, 
Blamed,  Threatened.  His  Case  Made 
the  Occasion  of  Exhortation  to  Gaius. 
Demetrius  Commended.  A  Cheerful 
Close  of  the  Epistle. 

9.  I  wrote  (the  best  text  reads,  somewhat) 
unto  the  church.  The  church  in  the  place 
where  Gaius  lived,  and  of  which  he  was  a 
member.  The  connection  suggests  that  the 
'somewhat'  (n)  in  the  letter  was  concerning 
the  missionary  brethren.  Here,  then,  is  a 
writing  of  John  not  preserved.  Not  all  the 
letters  of  the  apostles  are  saved  in  the  canon 
of  Scripture,  neither  were  designed  to  be. 
There  is  a  suggestion  in  the  letter  being  sent 
to  the  whole  church,  of  a  church  responsibility 
toward  gospel  laborers.  But  (notwithstand- 
ing my  care  to  write  to  the  church)  Diotre- 
phes, who  loveth  to  have  the  pre-emi- 
nence among  them  (the  persons  implied  in 
the  term  'church')  receiveth  us  not.  He 
does  not  approve.  That  is  the  course  he  takes. 
He  takes  it  upon  himself  to  say  that  neither 
letter  nor  brethren  must  be  received  by  the 
church.  And  the  church  is  somewhat  led  by 
him.  'Us'  includes  John,  as  represented  by 
his  letter,  and  the  brethren,  in  whose  behalf  it 
was  presented. 

"We  come  now  to  the  ambitious,  arbitrary, 
pragmatical,  jealous,  self-seeking,  place-hunt- 
ing, rule-or-ruin,  hard-talking  man,  Diotre- 
phes, the  prototype  of  many  another  oppres- 
sive dictator  and  willful  alien  in  the  Church 
of  Christ.  Whether  he  was  a  private  member, 
a  deacon,  a  minister,  or,  as  Eothe  says,  a 
bishop,  we  know  not.  "VVe  know  that  he  was 
in  the  church,  both  prominent  and  influential. 
His  influence  and  persistency  were  so  great 
that  he  was  able  to  control  the  church.  He 
was  able  by  his  sophistr3'  or  threats  to  lead 
the  majority  of  the  church  to  do  a  wrong 
thing.  He  maj'  have  actually  succeeded  in 
convincing  the  church  that  it  ought  not  to 
receive  either  John's  letter  or  the  missionaries. 


He  may  have  excited  prejudice  (ver,  lo)  against 
John  and  the  workers,  saying  that  they  were 
only  self-seekers.  Por  it  is  a  Diotrephes  that 
thinks  any  one  who  stands  in  his  way  wholly 
selfish  and  black-hearted.  He  may  have  con- 
tended that  they  were  troubled  with  too  many 
missionary  brethren,  that  their  hospitality 
!ind  means  were  too  much  taxed  by  them, 
that  they  had  as  much  as  the}'  could  do  at 
home  without  aiding  any  outside  work,  that 
John  was  presuming  too  much  on  their  liber- 
ality, or  that  he  was  assuming  to  cofitrol  the 
church  too  much.  In  some  way,  doubtless, 
the  man  had  been  cros.sed  bj'  John,  and  his 
ambition  keenly  wounded;  and  he  was  will- 
ing to  sacrifice  church  and  brethren,  in  order 
to  gratify  his  revenge.  Possibly  we  have  a 
hint,  in  our  verse,  as  to  the  way  in  which  his 
selfishness  had  been  stung.  I  wrote  to  the 
church,  saj's  John.  Diotrephes  was  not  ad- 
dressed at  all.  It  is  likely  he  had  not  even 
been  mentioned  in  the  letter;  perhaps  it  bad 
mentioned  the  name  of  some  far  humbler 
member  instead.  Diotre])hcs  says  within  him- 
self: "John  shall  not  ignore  me.  He  shall 
feel  my  importance  in  the  church.  He  shall 
have  a  lesson.  We  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  him  or  his  men."  Saying  this,  he 
thinks  more  of  himself  than  of  apostolic 
authority,  missionary  work,  the  claims  of 
brotherhood,  or  the  real  good  of  his  church. 
He  loves  and  serves  himself  supremely. 
What  a  contrast  between  Diotrephes  and 
Gaius ! 

10.  Wherefore,  if  I  come,  I  will  remem- 
ber (or,  bring  to  remembrrtnce)  his  deed^ 
which  he  doeth.  Not  only  the  work  which 
he  did  in  case  of  the  letter  and  brethren, but  the 
dark  habit  of  the  man  since.  Prating  (liter- 
&\\y,hQUivg  over)  against  ns  with  malicious 
(wicked)  wnrAs.  Now  the  apostle  speaks  with 
authority.  Not  with  any  vindictiveness,  but 
with  a  God-given  spirit  of  judgment,  as  Paul 
in  1  Cor.  5:  3-5,  he  utters  himself  concerning 
the  raging  devourer  in  the  church.  He  will 
uncover  this  man  to  the  church.  Before  all, 
this  ambitious  accuser  shall  know  that  he  is 
known,  and  the  church  shall  see  how  it  was 


III.  JOHN. 


83 


himself  receive  tlie  bretliren,  and  forbiddeth  them  that 
would,  and  castcth  llteiit  out  of  the  churirli. 

11  Beloved,  follow  not  that  which  is  evil,  but  that 
which  is  good.  He  tliat  doeth  good  ia  of  God:  but  he 
that  doeth  evil  hath  not  seen  (jod. 


not  content  therewith,  neither  doth  he  himself 
receive  the  bretliren,  and  them  that  would  he  for- 
11  biddeth,  and  caslelh  them  out  of  tlie  church,  lie 
loved,  imitate  not  that  which  is  evil,  but  that  whicli 
is  good.    He  that  doeth  good  is  of  Uod:  he  that 


led.     It  appears  from  tlie  words  of  this  verso 
thus  far,  tliat  Diotrephes  liad  been  engaged  in 
a  series  of  deeds  of  opposition,  and  was  still 
engaged  in  them.     For  one  thing,  he  talked, 
talked,  talked;  he  overflowed,  he  boiled  over, 
with  talk.     He  would  get  excited,  and  run  on, 
to  work  up  hostility,  and  fulfill  hissellish  hate. 
The  current  of  his  talk  was  malicious  words 
against  John  and  the  brethren,  some  of  God's 
best  servants.    John's  Epistle  probes  his  case; 
"what  will  his  coming  do?    Our  verse  shows  us 
the  work  of  a  possible  bad  element  in  the  holy 
Church  of  Christ.     It  is  the  wolf  in  the  fold. 
And    not    content   therewith  (not   resting 
content  upon  these  things),  neither  doth  he 
himself  receive  the  brethren,  and  forbid- 
deth  them  that  would  (or,  and  them  that 
would  he  hindereth).      Instead  of  saying,  as 
the  word  'neither'  would  lead  us  to  expect, 
"nor  does  he  permit  those  that  would,"  he 
puts  it  in  the  stronger  positive  form,  and  those 
that  would  he  hindereth.     There  were,  then, 
well-disposed  members  in  the  church.     Gaius 
■was  one.    The  man's  opposition  is  not  all  talk. 
And  casteth  (the  well-disposed  and  remon- 
strating ones)  out  of  the  church.  We  confess 
ourselves  unable  to  decide  whether  the  casting 
out  of  the  church  means  excommunication,  or 
simply,    forcibly    shutting   them   out   of   the 
assemblies  of  the  church.     It  seems  hardly 
possible  that  it  could  have  been  excommuni- 
cation on  so  slight  a  ground.     Yet,  so  it  may 
have  been.     The  ground,  in  that  case,  would 
he  alleged  insubi)rdination,  because,  forsooth, 
in  opposition  to  Diotrephes,   they  wished  to 
receive  and  entertain  the  missionary  travel- 
ers 1     Gaius  would  be  cut  oif  by  this  process. 
Doubtless,  discipline  has  sometimes  taken  tins 
mad  way  when  a  church  has  fallen  under  the 
sway  of  passion,  and  the  wild  boar  (ps. so:  is) 
wastes  it.     But   it  is  sad  work.     Apropos  to 
the  idea  that  the  casting  out  is  merely  from 
the  assembled  congregation,  Braune  remarks  : 
"It  might  be   possible  that  Diotrephes  was 
wont  to  hold,  or  cause  to  be  held,  the  meet- 
ings of  the   church   in  his  own   house,   and 
refused  admittance  to  those  who  were  opposed 
to   him."      There   was,   at  any  rate,   serious 
difficulty  in  the  church.     All  was  not  smooth 


in  even  the  apostolic  churches.  There  were 
bad  men,  and  there  was  bad  work,  then  ;  and 
sometimes  a  perilous  crisis  came.  But  the 
truth,  and  the  servants  of  the  truth,  have  on 
the  wh(ile  prevailed.  Christianity  has  gained 
in  spite  of  its  false  professors,  and  much  unfor- 
tunate work;  and  it  has  proved  itself  divine. 
If  John  came,  as  he  hoped,  things  were  doubt- 
less righted  in  the  oppressed  and  torn  church 
of  Diotrephes  and  Gaius.  And,  even  without 
apostolic  visitation,  many  a  rent  and  bleeding 
church  has  recovered  itself  through  the  vital 
energy  of  faith  somewhere  in  it,  and  has  put 
on  strength  and  beauty;  so  recuperative  is 
that  bod}'  which  in  any  of  its  members  holds 
the  life  of  God. 

11.  Beloved.  The  fourth  time  this  glow'ng 
epithet  has  been  applied  to  Gaius  in  this  little 
Epistle.  See  on  ver.  1,  2,  5.  John  is  about 
to  exhort  Gaius,  and  there  is  an  appeal  in  the 
very  title  he  addresses  him  with.  Undoubt- 
edly there  was  an  unsjjcakable  relief  in  John's 
mind  in  turning  from  the  black  picture  of 
Diotrephes  to  a  fresh  address  to  one  whom  he 
could  call  his  beloved.  What  enhanced  mean- 
ing (if  possible)  it  would  have  to  John,  from 
the  contrast  just  dwelt  upon  !  Follow  not 
{imitate  not,  as  an  exampje,  2  Thess.  3:  7,  9; 
Heb.  13 :  7)  that  which  is  evil.  '  That 
which  is  evil,'  as  shown  in  the  case  just 
treated.  Jolin  feels  so  full  of  abhorrence 
towards  it  that  he  must  exhort  all,  even  the 
good  Gaius,  against  it,  against  all  its  influ- 
ence. "  Do  not,"  he  says,  "  in  any  way  catch 
the  spirit  of  that  man's  acting.  Do  not  return 
to  him  an^'such  spirit  as  he  hasshown  to  you. 
Be  no  party  to  strife,  injustice,  or  severity." 
But  that  which  is  good.  'That  which  is 
good  '  ;  all  that  is  contrary  to  the  work  of 
Diotrephes  ;  all  thatis  illustrated  in  the  exam- 
ples of  the  good,  such  as  Demetrius  is,  who  is 
so  commended  in  the  next  verse.  Continue 
your  kindness  to  Christ's  messengers,  j'our 
love  of  tlie  truth,  your  help  in  forwarding  the 
gospel  in  the  regions  beyond.  Follow  that 
which  is  peaceful  and  useful.  Persevere  in 
all  this,  notwithstanding  your  untoward  sur- 
roundings. Thus  even  good  men  need  exhor- 
tation, else  John  would  not  have  given  it  to 


84 


III.  JOHN. 


12  Demetrius  hath  good  report  of  all  men,  and  of  the 
truth  itself:  yea,  and  we  also  bear  record;  and  ye 
know  that  our  record  is  true. 

13  I  had  many  things  to  write,  tut  I  will  not  with 
ink  and  pen  write  utito  thee: 

14  But  1  trust  I  shall  shortly  see  thee,  and  we  shall 


12  doeth  evil  hath  not  seen  God.  Demetrius  bath  the 
witness  of  all  men,  and  of  the  trulh  itself:  yea, 
we  also  bear  witness;  and  thou  knowest  that  our 
witness  is  true. 

13  I  had  many  things  to  write  unto  thee,  but  I  am 
unwilling  to  write  them  to  thee  with  ink  and  pen: 

14  but  I  hope  shortly  to  see  thee,  and  we  shall  speak 


Gaius.  The  whole  shows  that  to  be  a  good 
member  of  the  clmrch  it  is  necessary,  not  only 
to  be  sound  in  the  faith,  but  to  do  kindly, 
useful  deeds,  and  preserve  in  the  soul  the 
image  of  all  that  is  good,  (pmi.*:  8,9.)  He 
that  doeth  good  (as  a  habit,  a  life)  is  of(«) 
God.  Is  born  of  God,  and  partakes  of  his 
nature;  has  come  into  the  sphere  of  God's 
light.  Your  well-doing,  your  kindness,  your 
Christian  helpfulness,  proves  your  alliance 
with  God  in  spiritual  nature.  See  on  1  John 
8:  10;  4:  2,3.  He  that  manifests  the  likeness 
of  God  is  related  to  him  in  the  new  birth.  He 
that  doeth  evil  hath  not  seen  God.  See 
on  1  John  2:  3;  3:  6;  4:  8.  Not  to  have  seen 
God  here  means  not  to  have  any  opening  of 
the  spiritual  vision  to  him,  or  to  be  without 
any  spiritual  acquaintance  with  him  ;  hence, 
utterly  without  the  new  birth.  It  is  implied 
that  the  evil-doing  Diotrephes  is  in  this 
state,  notwithstanding  his  Christian  profession. 
Thus  John  assigns  his  case,  and  all  similar 
cases,  to  their  proper  alternative.  He  does  it 
in  few  words. 

13.  Demetrius.  It  is  remarkable  that  the 
peculiar  exhortation  and  character  rule  of 
ver.  11  should  have  upon  its  one  side  such  an 
example  as  Diotrephes,  and  on  the  other  such 
an  example  as  Demetrius.  With  what  satis- 
faction could  the  writer— taking  Gaius  in 
thought  with  him — turn  from  the  former  to 
the  latter  1  Who  is  Demetrius  ?  Is  he  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  where  Gaius  lived?  or  is  he 
one  whom  John  sends  there  to  bear  the  pres- 
ent needed  letter  and  give  support  to  the 
shattered  cause?  Not  the  former,  since  in 
that  case  John  would  have  appealed  to  the 
good  opinion  of  Gaius  concerning  Demetrius. 
The  other  view  commends  itself  as  reasonable. 
In  sending  him  John  emphasizes  his  good 
standing,  in  order  that  Gaius  may  receive  him 
with  confidence,  and  that  others  may  be  favor- 
ably influenced  by  his  coming.  Hath  the 
good  report  (or  witness)  of  all — that  is,  of 
all  who  know  him.  He  is  a  man  of  good 
report.  When  'witness'  is  used  absolutely, 
as  here,  it  always  denotes  good  testimony. 


(Acts6:3;  io:22,eto.)    And  of  the  truth  itself. 

'Truth'  here  must  have  a  meaning  harmon- 
ious with  the  Johannean  view  of  it,  so  largely 
developed  in  these  epistles.  It  is  here  the 
truth  of  the  gospel  as  a  living  principle  in 
Demetrius.  That  truth  so  manifestly  in  him 
testifies  to  him  as  to  what  he  is,  as  Gaius  in- 
deed will  see  when  he  meets  him.  Yea,  and 
Ave  also  (emphatic)  bear  witness.  In  this 
letter  'we'  is  chiefly  the  apostle  himself,  with 
some  reminiscence  perhaps  of  apostolic  asso- 
ciates, whose  voices  he  knew  would  be  with 
him  could  they  speak.  Compare  1  John  1 :  3. 
And  yet  thou  (as  the  best  critical  text  gives 
it)  knowest  that  our  witness  is  true 
(aXjje^s,  not  aATjeifos).  Truc  in  quality;  true 
morally;  true  in  the  very  strongest  sense. 
Such  pre-eminently  is  apostolic  testimony,  as 
Gaius  knows.  A  manifestly  weighty  evidence 
of  the  apostolic  origin  of  the  letter.  It  is 
natural  as  coming  from  John  the  apostle 
(John  19: 35:  21:  24),  but  Unnatural  for  another. 
Happy  the  Christian  brother,  who  has  as  good 
a  report  as  Demetrius  had,  and  whose  Chris- 
tianity shines  forth  from  him  as  unmistak- 
ably! 

13.  I  had  many  things  to  write.  His 
heart  is  full  of  them.  The  emergency  sug- 
gests them.  The  strong  personal  attachment 
to  the  man  addressed  calls  them  up.  But  he 
must  desist,  till  he  can  meet  his  friend  face  to 
face,  as  he  hopes  soon  to  do.  Then  he  can 
pour  out  his  thoughts,  without  the  limits  or 
restraints  of  paper  and  pen,  and  inscribe  them 
on  Gaius'  heart  with  the  vividness  which  per- 
sonal interourse,  the  look  of  the  face,  and  the 
tones  of  the  voice  are  so  well  fitted  to  produce. 
But  I  will  not  with  ink  and  pen  write 
unto  thee.  I  am  unwilling  to  go  on  writing 
more  to  thee;  present  tense.  See  on  2  John 
12. 

14.  We  divide  ver.  14  of  the  Common  Ver- 
sion, and  make  a  new  verse  (15)  of  the  latter 
half,  as  Scrivener,  Tischendorf,  Alford,  and 
practically  the  Bible  Union  "Version,  and  as 
obviously  required  by  the  contents.  But  I 
trust  (or  hope)  I   shall   shortly  see   thee. 


III.  JOHN. 


85 


speak  face  to  face.    Peace  be  to  thee, 
salute  thee.    Greet  the  friends  by  name. 


Our  friends 


face  to  face.    Peace  be  unto  thee.    The  friends  sa- 
lute thee.    Salute  the  friends  by  name. 


He  does  not  presume  to  say  that  he  certainly 
shall  see  Gaius.  The  certainty  of  his  going  is 
not  revealed  to  him.  He  remembers  that  he 
is  an  old  man,  that  life  at  best  is  precarious, 
that  some  unlooked-for  providence  may  inter- 
vene to  deprive  him  of  the  coveted  privilege 
of  meeting  his  friend  and  caring  for  the  torn 
and  bleeding  sheep  of  the  church.  See  on  2 
John  12.  And  we  shall  speak  face  to  face 
(or,  literally,  mouth  to  mouth).  As  only  the 
most  confidential  friends  can.  What  a  bliss- 
ful season  will  there  be  then  !  The  future 
indicative  here  denotes  an  assurance  of  hope 
that  the  delightful  converse  will  be  enjoyed. 

15.  Peace  be  to  thee.  How  appropriate 
the  benediction,  seeing  what  troubles  and 
distractions  surrounded  Gaius,  and  what  anx- 
ieties and  pains  naturally  filled  his  soul !  Let 
the  peace  of  Christ  (John  u: 27)  abide  in  thy 
soul ;  let  all  health,  welfare,  blessing  (as  ex- 
pressed so  strongly  by  the  corresponding 
Hebrew  term,  Dl Sk',  and  not  excluded  from 


the  Greek  term  of  the  apostolic  benedictions) 
come  to  thee ;  and  let  not  outward  troubles 
too  much  disturb  thee.  The  apostolic  bene- 
diction is  more  than  a  good  wish  ;  there  seems 
to  be  something  causative  about  it,  conscious 
to  him  who  pronounces  it.  Our  (rather  the) 
friends  salute  thee.  These  are  Christian 
friends  (compare  John  11:  11;  15:  15;  Acts 
27:  3),  brothers  and  sisters,  abiding  near 
John,  who  desire  to  greet  Gaius  in  the  Lord, 
to  inspire  his  courage,  and  cultivate  their 
spiritual  union.  Greet  the  friends  by 
name — that  is,  individually  and  particularly. 
The  Christian  friends  with  Gaius,  abiding 
faithful,  amid  the  fierce  work  carried  on  by 
the  false  brother.  "Call  them  each  by  name, 
and  present  our  greeting  as  we  would  do  if 
present."  Christian  individuality  is  highly 
regarded  in  the  New  Testament  (compare 
John  10:  3),  as  spiritual  union  is  much  culti- 
vated. 


y"        jf-         M-        -it 


DATE  DUE 


,j^'i^ 


_>-  "M        .,V 


^it       ^       x^     ^ 


>'  jf  '3r 


0e' 


